Convicted cocaine trafficker Clayton Eheler’s B.C. Court of Appeal hearing started on Thursday.
Eheler was convicted of cocaine trafficking and sentenced to more than eight years in prison in November 2019.
He and co-accused Mathew Thiessen were caught with nine kilograms of cocaine they were processing in a Chilliwack condo on Nov. 18, 2014.
• READ MORE: Eight years in jail for high-level Chilliwack drug dealer
The hearing began Thursday (June 24) morning with the three Appeal court justices, lawyer for the Crown and Eheler’s lawyer Matthew Nathanson in attendance via Zoom.
Eheler is out of custody as he was granted bail in the B.C. Court of Appeal on Oct. 8 in part because Justice Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten accepted defence submissions that his health was at risk in the correctional facility where he was housed.
He had tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered. He also suffers from severe sleep apnea and said he was not given access to medical equipment in custody.
Eheler’s bail was opposed by Crown, who pointed to an incident when he was caught in June 2019 by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) with a valid passport in his name, an instructional sheet for filling out a passport, and an allegedly false birth certificate in his name. He also had a large amount of cash and a cocaine press.
Eheler has an extensive criminal record with more than 40 convictions dating back to 1995. He has connections to the Hells Angels and is a former associate of the Bacon Brothers.
See www.theprogress.com for updates on the status of Eheler’s appeal.
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