A man who was arrested in Port Alberni in 2022 was sentenced to five years and six months in prison by Justice Bantourakis for drug-related crimes on Sept. 16.
Peter Alexander, 41, was arrested on Feb. 3, 2022. A U-Haul truck he rented and was behind what court documents describe as a "known drug house" in Port Alberni. Officers stopped Alexander and suspected he had fentanyl in the truck after seeing a package inside. He was arrested and searched when officers found 41 grams of cocaine, 527 grams of fentanyl powder, 198 grams of methamphetamine and 376 grams of fentanyl and flubromazepam.
The court documents from the sentencing said the value of the drugs was estimated at $86,000 to $122,000.
Crown prosecutors sought an eight-year sentence for Alexander, while the defence pushed for a three to three and a half-year sentence. The main objectives of sentencing for prosecutors was deterrence and denunciation. The goal of deterrence is to try to stop people from committing crimes because of the consequences, while denunciation expresses society's condemnation of the crime.
Alexander was found guilty of:
- possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking, sentenced to four years
- possession of fentanyl for the purposes of trafficking, sentenced to five and a half years
- possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking, sentenced to three years
- possession of fentanyl and flubromazepam (a benzodiazepine) for the purpose of trafficking, sentenced to five and a half years
He will be serving all of these sentences concurrently.
While Bantourakis noted the severity of fentanyl's affects on communities across the province, Alexander's personal history and how he has used his time in prison since his arrest was also noted.
"His childhood and adolescence were sadly marred by the kind of instability, emotional neglect, and exposure to both violence and substance abuse that are all too common in cases like these," the court documents reflect Bantourakis saying. Adding that Alexander was homeless by the age of 17 and started smoking cannabis and drinking in Grade 9.
By age 20, Alexander was addicted to drugs.
Despite having a GED and being trained as a welder, Alexander was unable to hold a long-term job.
Since being in prison, he has been in treatment. He has completed two phases of a treatment program and was entrusted with a leadership position where he mentors three other residents at the facility. Other detainees submitted letters to the court, explaining how Alexander has been a strong, positive influence on them. Alexander's mother also submitted a letter, saying she believes he has changed.
Alexander himself wrote a letter addressed to the officers who arrested him. In it, he thanked them for saving his life.
"I consider his rehabilitative efforts in that regard to be mitigating. Mr. Alexander has done very well in treatment and has demonstrated a commitment to recovery sufficient that he was given a position of trust and is a mentor to others. That is meaningful," Bantourakis said.
The justice also considered Alexander's motives in drug trafficking, to sustain his own addiction, as less severe than if it were purely for greed.
Despite mitigating factors, Bantourakis also weighed the amount of drugs Alexander had in his possession and his many previous offences.
"The presence of fentanyl in this case is aggravating, as is the volume of drugs, and there can be no question that Mr. Alexander would have been aware of the potentially lethal consequences of his actions," Bantourakis said.
On top of the five and a half year sentence, the justice approved prosecutors' request of a lifetime firearm ban, submission of DNA to have on file and a forfeiture of items seized during his arrest, aside from the drugs which have already been destroyed. Bantourakis did not, however, grant the Crown's request for a victim fee, as they believed it would cause undue hardship on Alexander.
Due to his time already served in prison, Bantourakis credited him with 627 days off of his sentence, giving him an effective sentence of three years and nine months.
