ANTIGONISH: Cape George resident William Leigh Brady said he has asked the local crown to either return marijuana police took from his home in 2012 or repay him.
“It’s supposed to be that if charges are dropped, or the cases come to a close, things are supposed to be returned to me,” said Brady.
“Well, they returned the money that they took… but they didn’t return my scales and they didn’t return my three ounces of marijuana.”
On July 7, a judge in Halifax granted Brady bail pending an appeal of his conviction on a drug trafficking charge. His appeal was also set for November 28 in Halifax at the Court of Appeal.
During an appearance in Antigonish Provincial Court on April 27, Brady received 18 months of house arrest after a jury found him guilty of trafficking marijuana and possession for the purposes of trafficking. During the sentencing hearing, the crown entered a stay on the possession for the purpose of trafficking charge because “both charges covered the same alleged acts.”
The crown previously withdrew charges of marijuana production, production of cannabis resin and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
At the time police entered his home, Brady said he was allowed to possess 10 pounds of dry marijuana but only had three ounces at the time. Brady said the three ounces are worth $275 each, or $825 total.
“I want the three ounces back,” he said. “The crown didn’t answer us back. The latest process would have to be that [my lawyer] is going to have to file a motion in court for this, which of course is going to cost me money to get back what is mine.”
Brady’s attorney, Adam Rodgers, said Brady wants fair compensation.
“They dropped the charges and [the plants] were legitimately his,” said Rodgers. “They’ve given him back his cash and other things they seized from his house.”
Rodgers said the cost of the plants is between $500 and $1,000 apiece and there were 103 plants.
“There is substantial value there,” Rodgers said.
RCMP previously repaid Brady for the seizure of plants from his home in 2009.
The charges were in relation to Operation Hakon 2012, which involved 130 charges against 24 people, including Brady.
