A provincial court judge has found a man guilty of selling heroin out of a Prince George house.
At issue was whether Joseph William Hammer possessed the 12.1 grams of heroin RCMP uncovered in a 2300-block Redwood Street home during an Aug. 5, 2014 bust, and if he did, whether it was for the purpose of trafficking.
Hammer was found in the home's living room at the time while 12.1 grams of heroin was found on top of a dresser in one of the home's three bedrooms.
Based on doses of 0.1 grams each, it was enough to produce 120 hits of the substance with an estimated street value of $2,500 to $4,000, judge Judith Doulis said in an August 15 reasons for judgment.
A pillowcase containing $5,245 in cash and a suitcase containing $110 plus a large Ziploc bag containing numerous small baggies were also found in the bedroom, as was a fishing licence with Hammer's name on it, but with a Grand Forks address.
However, a prescription bottle with Hammer's name on it was also found in the bedroom along with an assortment of clothes large enough to fit him. At the time, Hammer was so large a roomier police vehicle was brought in to take him to the detachment, Doulis noted.
As well, seven bottles of prescription medication from a Prince George drug store with his name on them were found in the kitchen suggesting he had been at the home for "more than a brief visit," Doulis said.
Five other people were found in the home, all of them women, yet there were no obvious signs any of them occupied the bedroom where Hammer's identification was discovered.
Other trappings related to trafficking were found in the kitchen, including a digital weigh scale, "score sheets" to keep track of sales and two flaps containing 0.05 grams of heroin in a pill bottle.
And a further $1,750 in cash was found stuffed under a couch cushion near where Hammer was arrested and a search of his wallet uncovered another $580.
While each piece of evidence did not in itself prove knowledge and control, Doulis found that cumulatively they led her to conclude he did have knowledge and control of the heroin in the bedroom, warranting a conviction for possession for the purpose of trafficking.
In a separate case, Hammer was found guilty of possessing heroin and cocaine for the purpose of trafficking from a May 10, 2014 bust at a 2300-block Ruggles Street home.
Both verdicts remain subject to applications under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms related to the time it has taken for the cases to be concluded and the ways in which the evidence was collected.
