WEAPONS FOUND AT DRUG SCENES INCREASINGLY COMMON: JUDGE
SUMMERSIDE – A P.E.I. provincial court judge says it is becoming increasingly common to see weapons associated with drugs in Prince County, and noted the presents a danger to those involved as well as the public in general.
Judge Jeff Lantz made the remarks at the sentencing hearing for one of two men charged following a police drug raid on a home in North Tryon in April.
Nathan George William Noonan, 25, of Albany, appeared in the Summerside courthouse Wednesday morning to answer to the charges.
There were four charges in total, including unlawful possession of a shotgun, storing that weapon while loaded, possession of a firearm while prohibited and possession of ammunition while prohibited.
Lantz was presented with a joint recommendation on sentencing from the Crown and defence in the case, which he mostly accepted. Noonan was ordered to serve 18 months in jail, but has been in custody since his arrest on April 18, so he received credit for the time he’s already served. He must also remain on probation for 24 months, is subject to a lifetime weapons ban, must submit a DNA sample to the national criminal database and will forfeit a shotgun.
There was also a pre-sentence report conducted which contained a number of positive starting points for Noonan’s potential reintegration into society should he make the effort, including family and employer support.
“There is still hope for his rehabilitation when he gets out,” said Lantz.
Noonan was one of two men charged following an early morning police raid on a home off the Trans-Canada Highway in North Tryon. The other man is his brother, 27-year-old Dustin Joseph Leo Noonan. Dustin Noonan is facing 11 firearms and drug related charges, which he has yet to enter a plea on. Two women were also in the home at the time of the raid but were not charged.
The Prince District JFO Drug Unit, which led the operation, said afterwards that it seized about 3.5 pounds of methamphetamine pills, around two ounces of crystal methamphetamine, some Ritalin and a small amount of cocaine from the home. It also found a small arsenal of bladed and blunt weapons, bear spray, and various types of firearms.