More jail for prolific Nanaimo drug trafficker

Several officers entered the Athletic St. home, adjacent to Robins Park off Fifth St, where a haul of drugs consistent with mid-level trafficking was seized.

Cash, drug paraphernalia and numerous weapons were also collected by police, including brass knuckles, batons, imitation firearms and a homemade taser.

The following drugs were located in the home:

280 grams of fentanyl mixed with benzodiazepine
9 grams of fentanyl
11 grams of meth
11 grams of methlyenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)
8 grams of cocaine

The drugs had an estimated street value of $22,000 to $60,000.

Alexander went to trial and was found guilty on four counts of drug trafficking for the Nanaimo bust.

Located in a small cul-de-sac on the eastern edge of Nanaimo’s Harewood neighbourhood, 52 Athletic St. had been the source of significant and long-standing social disorder.

Nine days after the raid, it was the site of a purposely lit fire and the discovery of a man’s body, leading to an unsolved homicide investigation.

The remains of Trevor Lawrence Stross, 40, of no fixed address, were found after Nanaimo Fire Rescue extinguished the blaze in Aug of 2022.

A nuisance property designation was applied the following month by Nanaimo City Council to recoup costs associated with continuous requests by fed-up neighbours for police attendance.

Police tape surrounding 52 Athletic St. in August of 2022. (file photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

During sentencing arguments before justice David Layton, federal Crown prosecutor Chris Gibson lobbied for six additional years of jail for Alexander.

Referencing several aggravating features of Alexander’s conduct, including the offender being on probation at the time, Gibson honed in on the devastating impacts fentanyl has had in B.C.’s ongoing toxic drug crisis.

He noted unregulated drug deaths are the number one cause of unnatural deaths in the province.

“It’s well above a combination of all of the other factors combined, including motor vehicle incidents, homicides, prescription drug deaths and suicides,” Gibson argued.

More than 16,000 British Columbians have died from tainted drugs since a public health emergency declaration was declared in April 2016, according to the BC Coroners Service.

Gibson pointed out that Alexander has multiple convictions annually between 2004 and 2008, as well as multiple convictions in most years between 2015 and now.

Alexander’s prolonged criminal record features numerous convictions in Nanaimo, as well as Port Alberni, southern Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and Kootenay region.

His convictions leading to continuous jail tenures primarily involve drugs, property offences, crimes of violence and breaching court-ordered conditions.

The offender’s lawyer, Tom Spettigue, pushed for six additional months behind bars for the Nanaimo drug raid.

Pointing to Alexander’s prolonged mental health and addiction struggles, Spettigue said his client has demonstrated “far beyond the ordinary” rehabilitative steps while in custody.

“Mr. Alexander’s upbringing was terrible, frankly. He didn’t have much of an opportunity to develop skills or mental capacity to handle difficulties, to deal with addictions, to live a pro-social life.” Spettigue said during sentencing arguments.

Justice Layton balanced the sentencing requests submitted by Crown and defence.

“Mr. Alexander had a difficult childhood and was an addict who turned to selling drugs to feed that addiction – that said, he did not merely sell to finance his own addiction, he also sold to accumulate profit and cash.”

The judge acknowledged Anthony’s recent advancements to address his addiction issues.

He also noted emotional support provided by his mother, as well as her pledge to provide housing for her son, as key post-release assurances for Alexander.

The offender’s mother welled up in tears upon hearing her son is slated to be locked up for half a dozen more years.

A pre-sentence report showed Anthony’s childhood and teenage years were plagued with instability, emotional neglect, as well as exposure to violence.

He has ADHD, did not complete high school and was homeless at the age of 17.

Despite numerous barriers, Alexander is a trained welder and has also worked in the construction industry.

Alexander rose from the prisoner’s box Thursday afternoon to address the court.

“It hasn’t been an easy road. Obviously, I’ve struggled with this all my life. I’ve been clean now since I’ve come in, so I’m pretty proud of that,” Alexander said.

Port Alberni bust
On Sept. 16, Alexander was sentenced at BC Supreme Court in relation to four drug trafficking charges he pleaded not guilty to when he was intercepted by Port Alberni RCMP on Feb. 3, 2022.

Alexander was stopped by police while driving a U-Haul truck behind the alley of a known Port Alberni drug house.

A police officer noticed a package in the vehicle that appeared to be fentanyl.

Alexander was promptly arrested, while a search warrant for the U-Haul was later granted.

Port Alberni RCMP seized the following drugs from the vehicle:

527 grams of fentanyl powder
327 grams of low-purity fentanyl and benzodiazepine
198 grams of methamphetamine
41 grams of cocaine
500 ml of a liquid fentanyl and caffeine mixture

An expert opinion provided for Crown counsel indicated the street value of the drugs was between $86,000 and $122,000.

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by Ian Holmes

More jail for prolific Nanaimo drug trafficker

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