Drug dealer caught in major busts gets six years

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This article was published 27/05/2023 (1078 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon man who was arrested for trafficking cocaine as part of two major drug busts in the past two years was sentenced Friday afternoon to six years behind bars.

Prosecutors and defence jointly recommended the sentence as a plea bargain for Scott Bickerton, who had previously pleaded guilty to two different cocaine trafficking charges, one from October 2020 to April 2021 and another from August to November of last year.

During sentencing, Crown attorney Serena Ehrmantraut read the following evidence for the charges against Bickerton.

In October 2020, Manitoba RCMP launched Project Debris, an investigation into drug trafficking where methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine from British Columbia was being distributed in Brandon and western Manitoba.

After some observations about a trafficker travelling to B.C. and returning to Brandon, RCMP were granted authorization to intercept communications between February and April in 2021.

The access to communications lead investigators to identify Bickerton as a dealer of cocaine and meth, who was being supplied by the B.C. operation and others. Prosecutors described Bickerton as “straddling the line between street- and mid-level trafficking.”

One of the communications showed Bickerton attempting to broker for a quarter kilogram of cocaine from the B.C. drug operation. Though this deal was never confirmed, authorities had detailed 12 drug transactions involving Bickerton over the course of the investigation.

He would usually receive several ounces of cocaine at a time, which he would then sell. This was confirmed by score sheets that were seized during the police takedown.

After his arrest in May 2021 as part of Project Debris, Bickerton was released on bail.

Then, the Brandon Police Service launched a 14-month investigation, dubbed Project Banish, into cocaine trafficking within the city. That probe identified another man as the leader of a drug organization that would import cocaine to Brandon and distribute it in the city.

Bickerton was identified by police as a member of that operation, and he was regularly supplied with cocaine, ranging from two to four ounces at a time, though prosecutors noted he had made a couple of requests for six ounces from suppliers. Bickerton would then sell the cocaine at street-level amounts with the use of his own sub-dealers.

Prosecutors said police determined Bickerton had purchased cocaine and paid a drug debt between Aug. 10 and Nov 21. Nine different intercepted communications indicated Bickerton was supplied with cocaine from the Brandon operation’s leader, and 10 different communications where they discussed requests for reloads, paying back debt, money from sales, and status updates on how much had been sold.

Bickerton was arrested during the project’s takedown on Nov. 21, 2022. During the search of his home, police found what they believed to be a cutting agent used to dilute cocaine, as well as packaging material in the garage and bathroom, three cell phones in the bedroom, one in the living room and a digital scale and money counter in the basement.

He was taken into custody where he remained until his release after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

In providing reasons for the recommended sentence, Ehrmantraut noted that Bickerton was not the ringleader of the operation and had only a small criminal record of two non-drug offence entries. He experienced mental health and addictions issues at the time of his charges, and this would be Bickerton’s first jail sentence, prosecutors said.

However, the Crown attorney did note that Bickerton’s involvement in Project Banish happened while he was already facing trafficking charges from Project Debris.

“I appreciate that there are some addictions issues, but this level of involvement certainly goes beyond more than just street-level, hand-to-hand transactions,” Ehrmantraut said. “He had been involved, trusted and profited from his role within two different sophisticated drug organizations that were operating in Brandon.”

The defence’s submissions focused on Bickerton’s remorse and willingness to take responsibility for his actions as demonstrated by his guilty pleas. Kate Smith, Bickerton’s lawyer, said her client pleaded guilty before receiving search warrant documents from Project Debris, which would allow lawyers to determine the strength of the evidence against the 30-year-old.

“Much of the case would have depended on those, so Scott made that decision knowing full well that would deprive him of any ability to review those, so the remorse that shows is significant.”

Smith said Bickerton has struggled with addiction for many years, including prior to Project Debris, and sought residential treatment before his involvement in trafficking.

“Him being involved in trafficking is a significant detriment to him in the sense that he is trafficking to support his own addictions,” Smith said. “He’s using the same substances that he’s trafficking.”

Bickerton survived cancer at a young age, Smith said, which took an emotional and mental toll on him and contributed to depression and addiction. The defence lawyer said her client was taken advantage of by others who knew he had an addiction problem. Bickerton was taking responsibility and looking to put the matter behind him so he can be with his family, she added.

Bickerton declined to comment to the court.

Judge Donovan Dvorak endorsed the lawyers’ recommendation of a six-year sentence. He underscored the impact on the community that drug trafficking has, noting that traffickers trade financial benefit for the hardship and suffering of other people. He acknowledged the guilty pleas as an expression of remorse.

“You know, they say when you have a lot, you have a lot to lose. And you’ve got a family now, you’ve got a young child and it’s going to hurt to be away,” the judge said.

In addition to the jail sentence, Bickerton was placed on a 10-year weapons prohibition. With time served, he’ll spend almost five and a half years behind bars.

Overall, Project Banish resulted in the seizure of more than nine kilograms of cocaine with a street value of more than $900,000 plus $450,000 cash.

Logan Bickerton, 27, who was also arrested as a result of the project, is facing numerous drug related charges, including cocaine trafficking. His charges remain before the court.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

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