THUNDER BAY - A Toronto man arrested following a June 2019 drug investigation into a Pearl Street apartment building appeared virtually in a Thunder Bay courtroom on Friday to plead guilty to a simple drug possession offence.
Shahin Rashid, 28, was initially charged on June 12, 2019, with one count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking but pleaded guilty to the lesser included offence of simple possession.
Court heard Rashid was one of three men found at Pearl Street apartment unit on June 12, 2019, after Thunder Bay police executed a search warrant at this location.
Police said they found three men including Rashid, federal crown prosecutor Misbah Haque said Friday, Oct. 23.
One of the individuals was found flushing drugs in a toilet. Police seized several quantities of different drugs including crack cocaine, morphine, Oxycodone pills along with drug paraphernalia, including two cellphones, a scale and more than $3,100 in cash.
At the time, police said they had learned several different apartment units in a building in the 200 block of Pearl Street were being used by suspected Toronto-area gang members for drug trafficking activity. Police said they seized nearly $40,000 in cash and approximately $7,000 worth of drugs during this raid, according to a previous media release.
On Friday, Judge Peter Bishop sentenced Rashid to the time he had already served in pre-sentence custody which was 16 days. This was a joint sentence recommended by defence counsel and the Crown.
Defence counsel Ryan Green told the court of his client’s unstable upbringing including his time spent in foster care after coming to Canada as a child refugee from Iran and dropping out of high school.
Rashid also has a previous drug trafficking conviction where he spent four months in custody, his lawyer said. Rashid spoke briefly to the court to apologize for his actions.
Following his custodial sentence, he will be on a 12-month probation period. Part of his condition requires him to remain outside of the district of Thunder Bay.
All evidence was ordered to be forfeited by the Crown.
