A 21-year-old man connected to a large drug bust in Chilliwack last August pleaded guilty this week, was sentenced to time served, and was released.
Antonio Dillan Nolasco-Padia was charged with one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking in connection with two police seraches on the south side of the city on Aug. 18, 2017.
Mounties turned up four kilograms of cocaine, as well as heroin, fentanyl, $130,000 in cash along with firearms.
• READ MORE: VIDEO: Chilliwack RCMP confiscate four kilos of coke, cash, firearms and fentanyl
After the search, 23-year-old Lucas Benjamin Thiessen was charged with trafficking and possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm without a licence and having a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition.
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| Antonio Dillan Nolasco-Padia |
On Sept. 18, 2018 in provincial court in Chilliwack, Nolasco-Padia pleaded guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking. He was released on time served and handed a mandatory 10-year firearm prohibition.
Thiessen still faces six charges and has several upcoming scheduled court dates running from Oct. 16 to Dec. 12.
After the initial search and arrest of Thiessen in 2017, a province-wide warrant was issued for Nolasco-Padia. He had originally been taken into custody then released. Following further investigation, however, he was charged with possessing a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking.
While on the lam, his mother issued a public plea for him to turn himself in fearing his life was in danger on the streets. He was later arrested in Mission.
• READ MORE: Mother asks son to surrender to police
Now that he is released, sources tell The Progress that Nolasco-Padia might be in danger yet again.
Both men are well-known to police. Thiessen was arrested in 2016 following a lengthy investigation by B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. That investigation led to the seizure of eight firearms, prohibited magazines, silencers, and more than $200,000 in cash. Also seized was over $2 million worth of drugs, which included a large quantity of fentanyl.
Nolasco-Padia faces one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking and was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Thiessen faces two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, one count of trafficking in a controlled substance, and two counts of possessing a firearm without licence and/or registration. He is next due in court Sept. 5.
@PeeJayAitchpaul.henderson@theprogress.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
