Man pleads guilty to trafficking meth, weapons charges

Guilty pleas were entered Thursday by a man arrested in a May drug trafficking bust, where police say $33,000 in methamphetamine was seized.

Paul Rasmussen entered the pleas to the 20 charges against him, which include five drug trafficking charges and multiple firearm charges.

The agreed statement of facts was submitted to the court, but not read in. A tentative date of Oct. 31 was set for sentencing.

Bail had been denied to Rasmussen at an earlier hearing, Crown agreed to re-open with the guilty pleas having been entered.

Rasmussen will be released on a $3,000 surety provided by his mother. He will be residing at her residence in Red Deer under a 24/7 curfew, and can only leave the house while in her company.

Rasmussen, who was 45 at the time of the arrest, and a co-accused were arrested on May 26 following a shortterm investigation by ALERT’s Medicine Hat organized crime team, and with the Medicine Hat police and RCMP.

Police seized 325 grams of meth, along with one gram of heroin, 3.5 grams cocaine, 100 oxycodone pills, a replica handgun, a loaded prohibited magazine and ammunition.

The co-accused, 43-year-old Siofean Coderre, entered guilty pleas on July 25 to one count of trafficking, one count of possessing the proceeds of crimes, and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. At the time, a pre-sentencing report was requested and Coderre was also released on bail conditions. She is set to be sentenced on Oct. 4.