Abbotsford man who was arrested twice in two weeks receives jail sentence

An Abbotsford man who was arrested twice last year in a two-week period and who police said had gang connections has been sentenced.

Harniel Singh, 23, received just under nine months in prison and one year of probation after pleading guilty to a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking (PPT).

Two other charges – another one for PPT and one for resisting a police officer — were stayed in Abbotsford provincial court on May 28.

Singh faced those charges in Abbotsford on April 5, 2018, less than two weeks after he had been arrested in a different incident.

His first arrest occurred on March 24, 2018, when the Abbotsford Police Department’s newly formed gang crime unit and patrol officers tried to stop a vehicle believed to be involved in the drug trade.

The car sped away and struck a marked police vehicle. The suspect vehicle was then followed covertly, including by the Air One police helicopter, and the driver was arrested when he stepped out of the car after parking in Coquitlam.

In that incident, Singh was charged with flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, driving while prohibited, and failure to remain at an accident.

(Singh pleaded guilty in June 2018 to two of the charges – fleeing from police and driving while prohibited – from that arrest. He was given two years’ probation and a one-year driving ban.)

He was then wanted on an outstanding charge of uttering threats in Abbotsford, and police pulled over his vehicle on April 5, 2018, on Whatcom Road.

Singh ran away, but a police dog chased him down and caught him.

A subsequent search turned up a large quantity of fentanyl and crack cocaine that was pre-packed for sale, police said at the time.

At the time of his arrest, Singh was in the company of Shahid Sirah Patel, 20, who was charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Both of those charges against Patel were stayed at the time of Singh’s sentencing.