Alleged cocaine smuggler consents to remand
A man allegedly caught smuggling 273 kilograms of cocaine into the country on his sailboat on Labour Day weekend will remain in custody until his next court appearance Oct. 16.
Jacques John Grenier, 68, appeared in Halifax provincial court Monday via a video link from the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.
Lawyer Brad Sarson told the court it’s yet to be determined if Grenier qualifies for legal aid.
Sarson suggested the case be adjourned for about a month to allow Grenier to apply for legal aid and a lawyer to be appointed.
The lawyer will need time to receive and review the evidence, Sarson said.
Judge Gregory Lenehan asked Grenier if he was consenting to Jacques John Grenier, 68, is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, importing cocaine, and conspiracy to import cocaine.
remain in custody until Oct. 16.
“My yacht — my home — has been impounded, so I have no place to go,” the senior replied.
“I’ll stay here,” he said, referring to the Dartmouth prison.
Canada Border Services Agency officers boarded a 9.14-metre sailboat called Quesera after it arrived in East River, Lunenburg County, from the Caribbean on the evening of Sept. 3.
The border officers allegedly discovered numerous bricks of cocaine hidden in the vessel before calling the RCMP.
Grenier, the vessel’s owner and operator, was arrested at the scene Sept. 3 at about 11:30 p.m.
An alleged accomplice, Luc Chevrefils, 59, of Saint-Zotique, Que., was apprehended by police about four hours later at a hotel in Dartmouth. Police seized the car he was driving.
Both men are accused of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to import cocaine. Grenier faces an additional charge of importing cocaine.
Chevrefils is expected to apply for bail Thursday in Halifax provincial court.