Cocaine dealer set up shop in Brandon hotel room
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A 41-year-old man pleaded guilty on Monday to possessing almost two kilograms of cocaine with the intent of trafficking the drugs through an operation he had set up in a Brandon hotel room last spring.
The Brandon Police Service started investigating Joseph Hildebrand in April after officers suspected he was trafficking cocaine in Brandon and the surrounding area, federal Crown attorney Eric Epp said in Brandon’s provincial court on Monday.
On May 20, police were surveilling Hildebrand and saw his vehicle parked outside a residence on 17th Street, Epp said. The investigation found he had booked a suite at the Super 8 by Wyndham along the Trans-Canada Highway.
The Brandon courthouse. (File)
“Additional surveillance and inquiries revealed that Mr. Hildebrand was using the hotel as temporary residence and a base of operations for the suspected drug trafficking activities,” Epp said.
While the execution of a search warrant for the hotel room was pending, officers believed Hildebrand detected he was being watched and arrested him that afternoon through a traffic stop.
Police seized a cellphone, his hotel access card and about $730 in Canadian currency, Epp said. Then officers obtained a warrant to search his hotel suite.
“During the search of that room by Brandon police, members located (and) seized approximately 1.78 kilograms of cocaine, packaging material, used packaging material, drug processing equipment and an operational digital scale,” he said.
Hildebrand’s lawyer, Adam Hodge, said the defence and Crown will be seeking a joint recommendation of six years excluding credit for time served in custody.
Hildebrand, who appeared in court virtually from the Brandon Correctional Centre, has also been charged with possession of property obtained by crime.
His sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2027.
Hildebrand was released from jail on an order to return for his sentencing date, including conditions to reside in Brandon, wear an ankle monitor, pay a $2,500 cash deposit, abide by a curfew and not possess or consume any alcohol or illicit drugs or own, possess or carry any weapons.
He will also be ordered to pay $2,500 if he fails to comply with any of the conditions.
» tadamski@brandonsun.com