RABBIT CREEK WILDFIRE

Business as usual in Waskesiu for time being

When police searched Jordan Peter Lichtenwald’s garage, they found a loaded, semi-automatic rifle strategically hidden by a coffee table and readily accessible if a drug transaction went awry.

The 36-year-old father of four also had a ‘cornucopia’ of drugs — 28 fentanyl pills, 63 grams of methamphetamine, 23 hydromorphone capsules, seven bottles of GHB and 7.4 grams of cocaine — when his behaviour at an 11th Street car wash caught police interest in October 2016, according to federal Crown prosecutor Lua Gibb.

The estimated street value of the drugs was between $7,000 and $22,000, court heard.

Gibb said the fact that Lichtenwald had a knife, baton, axe and homemade “zip gun,” shows dedication to protecting his product and a readiness for violence.

Justice Shawn Smith convicted Lichtenwald of possession for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking and 11 weapons offences after dismissing a charter application alleging his arrest was unlawful and the searches of his person, car and home were warrantless.

On Friday, Gibb argued for a 12year prison term at Lichtenwald’s sentencing hearing in Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench. The multiple weapons and array of drugs, including dangerous street fentanyl and highly addictive meth, are aggravating factors that warrant a “hefty sentence,” she told court.

Lichtenwald also has eight prior drug convictions and was prohibited from having any weapons when he was found with an arsenal.

That lack of insight is common for addicts, defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle said. This isn’t a sophisticated drug dealer living a lavish lifestyle, but a street-level trafficker who sold to support his 20-year addiction, he said, arguing for a sixyear sentence. Court heard Lichtenwald had a healthy, supportive upbringing but was introduced to drug trafficking as a consumer.

Smith reserved his sentencing decision until June.