Drug trafficking for two months: already in the dark for six and a half years, the State seizes half the value of his condo

A bodybuilding enthusiast will pay dearly for his brief involvement in drug trafficking to make a quick buck: already sentenced to six and a half years in prison, he will now see the State seize half the value of his condo.

• Also read: Drug trafficking for 2 months: a bodybuilding enthusiast put in the shade for 6 and a half years now risks losing his residence

Patrick Julien only intended to sell drugs for one month. A blue-collar worker in the City of Montreal, he hoped to make easy money to finance his bodybuilding activities.

Mr. Julien earned $2,000 a week selling drugs.

His accomplice, Francis Hans, head of the network, promised him that he would be a millionaire before the age of 40.

But the Longueuil police officers put an end to this abundance. Patrick Julien was arrested alongside other members of the vast network, which was widespread in Greater Montreal.

He ended up selling drugs for two months. He then replaced the head of the network.

Judge Marc-Antoine Carette recently sentenced the 32-year-old man to six and a half years in penitentiary.

“Draconian” measure

But the prosecution was hoping for other punitive measures: the complete seizure of his condo.

Indeed, the residence newly acquired by the accused was directly linked to the commission of the offense (drugs were found in almost every room), which makes it an offense property.

But judge Marc-Antoine Carette did not agree, describing the measure as “draconian”.

According to him, the total seizure could have been justified if the accused had “fortified” his condo to protect what was hidden there, or if the property had been purchased with the money from his crimes, which does not is not the case.

The judge therefore concluded Monday, at the Longueuil courthouse, that only half of the value of the condo should be seized.

In these cases, it is the value of equity that is captured, that is, what Patrick Julien actually owns. The equity was estimated at $70,000 for his condo worth $250,000.

Patrick Julien thus pays very dearly for this additional work carried out for only two months.

Dangerous drug

Remember that the sentence of six and a half years to which he was sentenced is longer than those received by his co-defendants.

In fact, a dangerous drug was seized from his home, namely protonitazene, a synthetic opioid which can be fatal and which is more powerful than fentanyl.

Julien defended himself by saying that he didn’t know what it was about.

An assertion which confirms that he showed “a wanton carelessness in relation to human life”, denounced Judge Carette during the pronouncement of the sentence.

An astronomical quantity of other drugs was also found in his home: cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, ketamine, GHB, LSD, Cialis tablets.

Before his arrest, he had even bragged about having an exorbitant amount of money belonging to the organization at home.

“Currently, there is more to my condo than the price of the condo,” he wrote by text message.