Hefty sentence in major cocaine case

Glen Paul Steele of Fanning Brook handed two-year jail term

A 31-year-old Fanning Brook man will serve time in a federal prison for his part in likely the largest cocaine case in P.E.I. history.

Glen Paul Steele has been sentenced to two years in jail after pleading guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking. He will also be on probation for three years when he is released from jail.

Charlottetown police seized 2.2 kilograms of cocaine in April 2017 from a garage loft Steele was renting in York.

Federal prosecutor Chera Lee Gomez told the court the seizure could well be the largest in this jurisdiction.

Charlottetown police’s street crime unit, according to an agreed statement of facts, began watching Steele in November 2016.

The investigation focused on Steele’s home in Fanning Brook, property in York owned by Bruce Duck where Steele rented the garage loft, and the property of another man in Springvale, P.E.I.

Police watched Steele visit the properties in York and Springvale, and then they observed other people, including those they considered to be known drug users, making quick stops at the homes following Steel’s departure.

Police executed search warrants on all three properties one year ago. Police found, in addition to the cocaine, a .22-calibre rifle and ammunition.

Steele fled police but later turned himself in to police in October.

At the time of the seizure, Charlottetown Police Deputy Chief Gary McGuigan told The Guardian the bust should have a significant impact on the supply of cocaine in P.E.I.

He believed the bulk of the drug was earmarked for Charlottetown.