Drug trafficking trial puts elderly couple behind bars

A London, Ont. courtroom heard Friday that from a so-called “hobby farm” near Newbury, drugs were being housed and trafficked.

A London, Ont. courtroom heard Friday that from a so-called “hobby farm” near Newbury, drugs were being housed and trafficked.

In December of 2016, the OPP searched the property and seized fentanyl, morphine, and Oxycodone.

In addition to the drugs, police said they also seized nearly $50,000 in cash.

In April, 68-year-old Floriano Daponte and 69-year-old Vivian Lee Hamilton were each found guilty of five counts of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.

Justice Michael McArthur told the courtroom that when officers arrived, “Ms. Hamilton was located by police alone in a bathroom and searched. She possessed 32 fentanyl patches in a plastic bag in her underwear.”

He continued, “This was a commercial operation in a rural setting,” adding, “The defendants were operating an illicit pharmacy and commercial gain was the obvious motive.”

Justice McArthur told the court that the message needs to be clear to the community, “All of the substances involved were serious and highly addictive hard drugs and included fentanyl.”