Sarnia woman recently cleared of fentanyl trafficking charged again after $14K bust

A Sarnia woman who was recently cleared of a fentanyl trafficking charge is now facing the charge again after police say an officer found 28 grams of the often-deadly drug worth $14,000 on a suspect.

Sarnia police posted a photo of a drug seizure on social media Tuesday afternoon and said an observer officer arrested a female suspect at the Northgate Plaza, where they allegedly had 28 grams of fentanyl.

“This has a street value of $14,000. Arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking,” police said on Twitter. “Held for bail.”

Police did not identify the suspect, but Terilynn Wasson, 33, had a brief bail hearing the next day for that charge and another unrelated charge from earlier this month. During the bail hearing – a publication ban was not ordered – the court heard an officer saw a man approach a woman sitting on a bench outside the Northgate Plaza Dollarama around 2:30 pm

The pair made eye contact and the woman reached into her black purse and pulled out what appeared to be tinfoil. The officer approached as the pair made a hand-to-hand transaction. The man took off running, but the officer arrested the woman as she put the tinfoil back in her purse.

It allegedly contained 28 grams of fentanyl worth $14,000.

“Obviously fentanyl is very significant and serious,” assistant Crown attorney Lori MacIntosh said after reading the allegations.

“It kills most effectively,” justice of the peace Helen Gale agreed.

Gale pointed out fentanyl is considered worse than heroin and trafficking convictions bring long prison sentences.

“But you’re innocent until proven guilty,” she told Wasson as she stood in the Sarnia courtroom’s prisoner’s box.

With no prior criminal record, Gale chose to release her without a financial obligation and no rules other than a weapons ban. But she cautioned Wasson not to come back to court with new charges or the Crown would likely argue against her getting bail.

“And you probably would not be released without a real strong plan,” she said.

The other charge Wasson is facing is one count of possession of stolen property – allegedly a vehicle – worth more than $5,000. She’s one of several people accused of the same charge, including Jordan Dietrich – her boyfriend, according to social media – who was also cleared earlier this year of the other fentanyl trafficking charge.

Sarnia police issued a release about an alleged fentanyl bust on Aug. 6, 2021, saying two Sarnia residents in their early 30s were facing trafficking charges after officers found about 11 grams of suspected fentanyl worth about $2,200 after searching a Kenwood Avenue home two days earlier. But the prosecutor dropped the charges against Wasson and Dietrich in April after new evidence was discovered.

Gale didn’t make it an order, but recommended Wasson stay away from her co-accused in the possession of stolen property case. All of her charges return to court in late August.

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@ObserverTerry