Lethbridge man sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to possession

A Lethbridge man was sentenced to 30 days in jail for possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl, but will be credited for time served.

Arnold Joseph Hofer, 50, of no fixed address, had been charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime under $5,000.

However, Hofer was allowed to plead to simple possession instead of trafficking after the Crown conceded it could not prove beyond all doubt the accused had been trafficking at the time of his arrest at a Superlodge hotel room alongside two others back on Jan. 5.

With assistance from the Priority Crimes Unit and a patrol unit, the Crime Suppression Team executed the warrant at the hotel room on that day after public complaints about suspected drug activity there.

As a result of the search of the hotel room, police located illegal drugs valued at more than $3,000 including 14.1 grams of methamphetamine and 7.1 grams of fentanyl. Also seized was more than $3,500 in cash, and a number of electronic devices believed to have been stolen earlier.

Hofer, who has struggled with addiction for a number of years, pleaded guilty on Thursday in Lethbridge provincial court to possession of both the methamphetamine and the fentanyl. He was sentenced by Judge Michelle Christopher to 30 days on each possession charge to run concurrently, but was credited for time already spent in pre-trial custody on these charges so will not be required to serve additional time in jail on these matters.