A Powell River man has been sentenced after a drug trafficking investigation from two years ago.
According to a Powell River RCMP media release, Ryan Ross appeared before justice Douglas Thompson in Powell River Supreme Court on March 3 and was found guilty of one count of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, for which he received a suspended sentence and probation for three years.
According to the media release, for the first 18 months, Ross is to abide by a curfew between 9 pm and 7 am.
The release stated that Ross was also found guilty of one count of unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon. For this he was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but was credited 90 days pre-sentence time in custody (so no further jail), and was given a 10-year prohibition from possessing firearms, according to the release. All other charges had a stay of proceedings entered.
According to a March 16, 2021, account from Powell River RCMP, a 61-year-old male had been arrested after a drug trafficking investigation.
According to a media release, RCMP staff sergeant Rod Wiebe stated that not even a month had passed since Ross was arrested for drug and weapons offences, yet he was arrested again after another drug trafficking investigation. Wiebe stated that on March 10, 2021, at approximately 12:30 pm, police were conducting a drug investigation in the 4800 block of Joyce Avenue when officers observed what they believed was a drug transaction taking place between several individuals.
Wiebe stated that two other male suspects, a 69-year-old and a 50-year-old, both from Powell River, were released from custody to appear in Powell River Provincial Court.
