A Kitchener man who possessed thousands of fentanyl patches and hydromorphone tablets for the purpose of trafficking will likely spend time in prison.
The Crown is seeking a 15-year prison term for Yogesh Patel, describing his actions as an “egregious breach of trust” given that at the time of his arrest, Patel was the manager of a pharmacy in Woodstock.
Patel pleaded guilty earlier this year to fentanyl trafficking, drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, fraud, theft and uttering a forged document.
Court heard that Patel created records in the pharmacy’s system for fake prescriptions. Through this system, he possessed an estimated 3,000 fentanyl patches and 1,500 hydromorphone tablets.
Court did not hear any explanation for why Patel began drug trafficking, noting that there was no evidence of any significant financial gain.
He spent 57 days in prison after his arrest, and more recently has been on house arrest.
Patel’s lawyer, Jim Dean, says the time already served should factor into the sentence – along with Patel’s lack of a prior record. He is asking for a sentence of two to four years in prison, followed by probation.
“Everything about Mr. Patel says he’s a good person, except for this one incident, this one timeframe in his life,” Dean said outside court.
Given a chance to speak in Woodstock court Monday, Patel said he hoped people would forgive him.
“I want to apologize to my family and my community for my actions,” he said.
Dean says Patel has lost his licence to be a pharmacist, and does not plan to reapply for it.
A decision on Patel’s sentence is expected to be reached by September.
With reporting by Krista Simpson
