Man who sold drugs during rough patch gets six-month sentence
By Peggy Revell on June 15, 2018.
prevell@medicinehatnews.com @MHNprevell A Medicine Hat man who sold methamphetamine to undercover officers after losing his job and being in debt was sentenced to six months jail time. Jay Brodie pled guilty Thursday at the Medicine Hat Provincial Courthouse to one count of trafficking, following his arrest in June 2017 alongside several others following a police investigation into street-level drug trafficking. According to the agreed statement of facts, undercover officers arranged with another individual to purchase half a pound of methamphetamine for $550 — and this person said someone else would meet with them to make the sale. This exchange occurred with a man later identified as the accused, with police exchanging $550 for 15.47 grams of meth. The joint submission was called a quid pro quo by defence and Crown, due to issues with the strength of the Crown’s case if it went to trial, and potential legal defences. Defence counsel said his 40-year-old client was in a down spot in his life as he had lost his employment, and the company he worked for went into receivership and owed him money. This led to him falling behind on child support, and having his vehicle seized — further affecting his ability to find a new job. He was also dealing with addiction issues at the time, and was trying to attend detox. Since his arrest, he has been out on bail with no issues, with defence counsel saying Brodie has found employment and has caught up on some child support. The person alleged to have made the original trafficking arrangements with police was also arrested on charges, and has since been sentenced to five years and one month in a federal penitentiary for his involvement in drug trafficking, which included selling heroin that later turned out to have fentanyl and carfentanil in the mix. 11
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