Wrong turns leads to arrest

Making a wrong turn at a Niagara border crossing proved costly for a 33-year-old man.

Jefferson Shawn Peters appeared in a Superior Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Friday and was sentenced to time served on a charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

The sentence, court was told, reflects the amount of time the defendant had spent in pretrial custody which was the equivalent of almost 30 months behind bars.

Peters was arrested in July 2015 after he became lost and accidentally drove across the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge.

U.S. border officials returned him to Canada at which time he was referred to secondary inspection.

Canada Border Services Agency officers subsequently found him to be in possession of almost 60 grams of cocaine.

Court was told the drugs had a street value of up to $6,400. At the time of his arrest, Peters was bound by a court order not to be in possession of any non-medically prescribed drugs.

A native of Grenada, Peters came to Canada in 2001. Due to previous run ins with the law, which included convictions for assault, drug possession and carrying a concealed weapon, proceedings were already underway to have him deported.

“I made a lot of mistakes in the past,” Peters told the judge. “No matter what, I’m getting deported. Whatever your decision, I respect it.”