Trucker in cocaine bust wants to abandon guilty pleas

A long-haul trucker wants to withdraw his guilty pleas on two charges from a cocaine seizure on Highway 102 near Enfield in November 2020.

Terrence John Keeping, 33, of West Porters Lake pleaded guilty in Dartmouth provincial court last December to a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act charge of possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and a Cannabis Act charge of possession for the purpose of selling.

Keeping was supposed to be sentenced in March, but the hearing was adjourned at his request.

On Tuesday, defence lawyer Kathryn Piche asked the court for permission to step down as Keeping’s counsel, saying there had been a breakdown in their solicitor-client relationship.

Piche said Keeping now wishes to apply to revoke his guilty pleas and have his matters set down for trial.

Keeping confirmed he was OK with no longer being represented by Piche and said he is seeking another lawyer. “I’ve been talking to someone,” he said.

Judge Amy Sakalauskas allowed Piche to get off the case and ordered Keeping to return to court later this month for an update on his search for counsel and to possibly schedule a hearing on his application to withdraw his pleas.

Keeping was arrested Nov. 19, 2020, after members of the Halifax Regional Policercmp guns and gangs unit, assisted by the HRP emergency response team and Canada Border Services Agency officers, searched his vehicle.

Police said they seized nine kilograms of cocaine with a street value of about $1 million, about 140 packages of cannabis edibles, five cases of illegal tobacco and more than $7,000 in cash.

The search was part of an ongoing investigation, police said.

The Crown consented to Keeping’s release the next day on a $10,500 bail order with his mother as surety.

Keeping must remain in Nova Scotia and follow an 11 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew but has an exception to those conditions when working as a truck driver. He has to notify police about each trip in advance and consent to having his truck searched upon his return.

He was also ordered not to possess or consume any drugs or have any firearms.

Keeping also faces one charge of possessing cannabis for the purpose of distribution and three charges under the provincial Revenue Act for evading tax on the tobacco. The Crown had planned not to call evidence on those charges, but that could change if Keeping’s guilty pleas are struck and he goes to trial.