Kamloops trafficker of fentanyl and cocaine gets four years

A Kamloops man who was convicted of possessing large amounts of fentanyl and other drugs has been sentenced to four years in prison.

In October last year, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Warren Milman found Chad Aaron Bissat, 30, guilty of multiple drug-related counts and several counts related to the possession of a loaded, prohibited firearm.

Police arrested him while he was out riding his bicycle on March 24, 2016. When they searched his backpack they found baggies containing 120 grams of cocaine, 195 g of methamphetamines and 60 fentanyl pills.

When police executed a search warrant at his home later that day, they found a large cache of drugs including 1.5 kilograms of cocaine, 573 fentanyl pills, 8.2 kg of the date-rape drug and 58 g of heroin/fentanyl.

The bulk value of the drugs was estimated to be $120,000, with the retail value set at about $200,000. The firearm was found underneath his pillow in the home.

Police also found cash, cutting agents, scoresheets, a measuring cup and scales in the home. Before the trial, Bissat lost a challenge to the admissibility of the evidence seized from the backpack.

The accused was found by the judge to be a mid-to-high-level drug trafficker. He told court that he was a “mover” — someone entrusted with large quantities of drugs in his house and tasked with moving them from place-to-place to allow them to be sold.

The trial heard that Bissat, who had no prior criminal record, saw his life go in a downward spiral after the death of his father. Suffering from depression and anxiety, he began to take drugs with the drug use beginning to interfere with his ability to keep a job. He said he began dealing drugs to feed his drug addiction.

In imposing sentence, the judge noted that the aggravating factors included the large quantity and variety of drugs.

“Although the relevant events took place relatively early in the life of the fentanyl crisis, I agree with Crown counsel that it is a significant aggravating factor that the trafficking here involved fentanyl.”

The mitigating factors included that he had made significant attempts at rehabilitation, including weaning himself off drugs, taking counselling and returning to school and work.

“I am satisfied that Mr. Bissau is remorseful,” said the judge. “He has made good strides to turn his life around in the time that has elapsed since his arrest.”

The judge imposed a sentence of four years in prison for the drug counts and two years for the firearms offences to be served consecutively. The judge passed sentence orally March 1. His written ruling was posted on the court’s website Tuesday.

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