THUNDER BAY - A 73-year-old Greenstone man appeared in court by audio on Tuesday and was sentenced on a number of charges including drug trafficking and breaching a previous court-ordered condition to not be in the possession of illicit drugs.
Gerald Dicks, 73, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, one count of possession of proceeds of crime not exceeding $5,000 and failing to comply with recognizance.
Dicks was sentenced by Judge Danalyn Mackinnon on Tuesday, July 21, for two separate incidents where police searched his residence in Greenstone with a search warrant.
Court heard from federal crown prosecutor Ronald Poirier on July 22, 2019, police searched the residence of Dicks and located 762 Oxycodone tablets and small amounts of other drugs as well as three cellphones, a digital scale and more than $4,000 in cash.
On May 31, police again searched the residence of Dicks and on this occasion, they found 45 rounds of ammunition, more than $4,000 in cash, a cellphone, packaging material, 6.2 grams of cocaine and 16.3 grams of methamphetamine. At this time Dicks was on a recognizance for his previous charges that required him not to be in the possession of illicit substances.
Defence counsel Neil McCartney and Poirier submitted a joint recommendation of 16 months of imprisonment for Dicks. The sentence submission was accepted by Mackinnon.
Court heard a brief background of Dicks through his counsel. Dicks has resided in the Greenstone area since the 1980s and became involved in the sale of drugs after struggling with his own drug addiction issues.
“Mr. Dicks by selling drugs in a small community you are hurting other peoples’ lives,” Mackinnon said. “Eventually they are addicted, they need to come and get the drugs from you.”
Mackinnon also highlighted the aggravating factor that Dicks had been released under a recognizance and was caught a second time in May for similar offences by police.
Dicks was also given credit for the time he has served in pre-sentence custody on an enhanced basis. Going forward he has just under a year left to serve in jail.
He was also handed a lifetime weapons prohibition and must submit his DNA into a national DNA databank.
