A precedent-setting sentence has been handed out to a high-level fentanyl dealer in Metro Vancouver.
Walter James McCormick was sentenced to 14 years in prison for what the prosecution called “bearing personal responsibility” for hundreds of fentanyl-related deaths in B.C.
The Crown had asked for an unprecedented 18-year prison sentence.
McCormick was one of 10 people arrested following Project Tainted, an operation that stemmed from a spike in overdoses back in October 2014.
“I think this is a great step forward that courts are finally recognizing the seriousness of the fentanyl issue,” Public Safety Minister Mike Morris said.
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“These individuals have been operating for so long, taking advantage of the most vulnerable people that we have in society. This sends a strong message, from my perspective.”
Defence lawyer Lawrence Myers acknowledged the seriousness of the province’s fentanyl crisis but said an eight- or nine-year sentence would have been more appropriate.
“Where I’m troubled is when the community develops a lynch mob mentality,” he said. “They think if they just hang Mr. McCormick out to dry by giving him a horrendous sentence that that’s going to solve the problem. We know that not to be true.”
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