BONNYVILLE - Waden Alfred Hordal was caught trafficking cocaine after selling drugs to two separate undercover officers over the course of two days.
The 29-year-old will serve his five-year jail sentence at a federal prison following a guilty plea to trafficking cocaine, possession for the purposes of trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, possession of property obtained by crime, and two counts of breaching his conditions.
During Hordal's Feb. 18 court appearance in Bonnyville, federal Crown prosecutor Vic Findlater described the offences that led to Hordal spending time behind bars.
On Feb. 13, 2019, an undercover police officer was at the Cedar Barn in town, which RCMP were targeting based on prior drug-related activity, when they asked someone where they could buy cocaine. The officer was told their contact would be arriving at the bar soon.
Later that night, Hordal sold 3.5-grams of cocaine to the officer and gave them his phone number for future purchases. The next day, the undercover member asked to buy 3.5-grams more, and met Hordal in the parking lot of Players' Lounge in Bonnyville to make the transaction.
A second undercover officer was directed to contact Hordal after asking around about buying cocaine. They were told to look for the male with a black hat and jacket, which turned out to be Hordal.
Hordal sold police another 3.5-grams of cocaine.
On Dec. 5, 2019, Bonnyville's General Investigative Section (GIS) conducted a search warrant on a residence believed to be occupied by Hordal.
When RCMP arrived, three people were in the house, including Hordal, who was arrested. While officers searched the accused, they located just under 70-grams of cocaine and less than $700 cash on him.
A further search of Hordal's room revealed 6.19-grams of psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms.
He was taken into custody and has remained at the Edmonton Remand Centre since his arrest.
Findlater described Hordal as a "dial-a-dope" dealer that runs a small commercial trafficking business.
He told the court Hordal wasn't the "most hardened or smartest drug trafficker."
The Crown took Hordal's early guilty plea and acceptance of responsibility as mitigating factors when considering their sentence.
Findlater felt five years "sends a clear message," to the public that trafficking, even on this scale, will not be tolerated.
Hordal's lawyer, Stacey Purser, explained how her client became involved in drug trafficking.
At an early age, Hordal was diagnosed with ADHD, and began using drugs early in his life. By the time he was 13-years-old Hordal was using cocaine regularly, an addiction that only grew as the years went on.
According to Purser, he started selling to "feed his addiction."
"Look at why he's been selling... you're not going to jail an addiction out of someone," expressed Purser when asked by Honourable Judge Kathleen Williams why the joint submission wasn't for the minimum three-year sentence on each trafficking-related offence.
Findlater agreed that five years was enough of a deterrant.
Since his arrest in December 2019, Hordal has remained sober despite what Purser described as "the wide availability of drugs," at the remand centre.
Hordal intends to continue his sobriety once he transfers to a federal prison, and has been attending Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, in addition to undergoing the Edmonton Remand Centre's Bootcamp Program.
As of his court appearance, Hordal had served 116 enhanced days in jail.
Williams agreed with the recommended five years in prison, describing it as a "significant" amount of custody for a 29-year-old.
Hordal was also sentenced to provide a sample of his DNA for the National Databank and a lifetime weapons prohibition.
He has over 1,700 days remaining in his sentence.
