An Abbotsford man has been acquitted of two charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking related to a 2017 arrest.
Jonathan Abel Flores, 21, was found not guilty on Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court in Chilliwack.
He initially faced a third charge of trafficking in fentanyl, but that charge was later dropped, and Flores went on trial for the two possession charges.
Flores and co-accused Cody Anthony McClain, 23, were arrested in June 2017.
Police at the time said the gang task force had pulled over a vehicle, in which they located $2,000 cash; a bag containing 70 pre-packaged pieces of fentanyl; other drugs, including cocaine; and five cellphones.
McClain was charged with five counts of trafficking in fentanyl, four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, and two counts of breaching his conditions.
He later pleaded guilty to two of the trafficking charges and one of the possession charges. The other charges were stayed.
McClain, who had no prior criminal record, was sentenced in December 2018 to two years of probation. The judge at the time commended him for the measures he had taken to end his drug use and criminal lifestyle, and to maintain employment.
The judge said, considering the positive changes McClain had made, sending him to jail would be a “crushing experience.”
Evidence presented at McClain’s sentencing hearing indicated that his arrest occurred after he had sold drugs on more than one occasion to undercover officers.
One of these occasions took place on June 28, 2017. Court documents indicate that, on that day, an officer called McClain and arranged to buy drugs. He purchased a package from McClain and, after the sale, police followed the vehicle and pulled it over.
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vhopes@abbynews.com
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