TRAFFICKING CONVICTION
Drug dealer guilty again
A Leamington convenience store owner already handed a five-year prison sentence earlier this month for drug dealing behind his store counter, was found guilty Monday in Ontario Court of several additional charges and is now facing up to four more years behind bars. Jimy Al-Ubeidi, who owned and operated Jimy’s Variety, was previously found guilty on Nov. 15 in connection with a police raid on his business in August, 2014 where officers discovered he was trafficking drugs that included cocaine, oxycodone and potentially deadly fentanyl.
Ontario Court Justice Gregory Pockele in handing the accused his five-year prison sentence, described Al-Ubeidi’s convenience store as a “drop-in drug mart.” The judge also issued a forfeiture order for more than $20,000 cash seized by police.
On Monday, Al-Ubeidi found himself back in Ontario Court facing additional drug trafficking charges in connection with an earlier January 2014 raid on his convenience store by Ontario Provincial Police when officers subsequently charged him with dealing cocaine, fentanyl, oxycodone and codeine.
Justice Robert Fournier, during a two-hour reading of his court decision spelled out the criminal enterprise Al-Ubeidi conducted, his “shady” business practices and carefree spending of cash alleged to have been profits from selling drugs — which included over $100,000 in losses at Caesars Windsor where he attained “high roller” status.
The judge found Al-Ubeidi guilty of possession for purpose of trafficking of the four substances found by police, plus being in possession of proceeds of crime. Assistant Crown attorney Sue Szasz asked Fournier to consider keeping the accused in prison for an additional four years following Monday’s verdict, while defence lawyer Evan Weber asked for a lesser sentence of two years. Fournier will hand out his prison sentence to Al-Ubeidi on Tuesday morning.
The married father of three children, dressed in a grey T-shirt with his black hair pulled back in a ponytail, sat quietly in the prisoner’s box on Monday with his arms folded, listening intently during the judge’s lengthy court ruling. “Obviously Mr. Al-Ubeidi is disappointed,” said Weber following the guilty verdict. “He listened to the judge’s ruling and understands careful consideration was given to the evidence, but he is still disappointed.” The judge made references to police surveillance of the store leading up to the raid as including officers witnessing several people known previously by police to deal or purchase drugs entering and leaving the store.
It culminated with an arrest of Al-Ubeidi at around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2014. The accused had keys to the store safe in his possession which officers opened after obtaining a warrant and discovered a variety of drugs, credit cards and cash.
Fournier also made references to the business owner repeatedly changing the name of his store in a bid to avoid government fines related to faulty income tax returns and business-related fines that included illegal sale of tobacco products.
“In addition to the harm on the community (from dealing potent drugs),” the judge indicated how Al-Ubeidi also “embraced shady and unethical business practices.” “In closing, viewed in its totality, this was a strong circumstantial case, indeed,” Fournier said. Al-Ubeidi has been given credit in court of having served 34 months behind bars to date for the nearly two years he has served in jail following his arrest.