One of four people arrested in a drug-related takedown last spring was found guilty Tuesday of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Kelly Michael Richet, 32, has admitted to simple possession of a small amount cocaine found in the pickup truck he was driving when arrested April 6, 2016 as part of an RCMP surveillance operation.
But whether he was aware of the 15 grams of methamphetamine found in a bag tucked under the rear bench seat was the subject of a five-day trial in Prince George provincial court.
The court heard Richet was arrested in the parking lot of a Central Street restaurant moments after he was seen making a "hand-to-hand" exchange with Mitchell Allen Crosby, 27, who was also arrested.
The cocaine and some cash were found on the floor of the vehicle and Richet testified he was spending part of the cash he got from the sale of a dirt bike to buy the drug for a party he was going to.
Along with the methamphetamine, RCMP also found scales, pill bottles, a playing card with notations on it and a can of bear spray in the vehicle. They also found a cellphone Richet admitted to owning.
Richet testified he had been driving a borrowed truck and the text messages found on the phone were, in part, a conversation about purchasing an auto part and later about the purchase of the cocaine.
But in reaching his decision, judge Michael Gray found the messages Richet claimed were about the auto part were too abrupt, abbreviated and discrete to support his story and found Richet knew about the methamphetamine and had care and control of the items found in the vehicle.
Sentencing for Richet will be held in May.
The case against Crosby and co-accused Kylah Annaliese Marie Franks, 21, remain before the court with a trial scheduled to begin in June.
Trafficking and firearms-related charges against Craig Anthony Neidermayer, 41, were stayed later the same month of the arrest. And in January, trafficking charges against Miranda Leigh Dingwall, 24, were stayed.
