Former Corner Brook RCMP officer pleads guilty to cocaine possession, unauthorized use of computer

A former RCMP officer in Corner Brook will avoid jail time, and instead serve a pair of consecutive six-month sentences in the community for possession of cocaine and unauthorized use of a computer after he was caught in an undercover police investigation involving cellphone and vehicle trackers.

But in exchange for a guilty plea, the Crown dropped the more serious trafficking and breach of trust charges against Michael Hann.

Hann was investigated by the RCMP and members of Newfoundland and Labrador's Serious Incident Response Team for his connections and involvement with known drug traffickers in the Corner Brook region, and was eventually charged in February 2023 with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, unauthorized use of a computer and breach of trust.

The investigation — dubbed Project Bliss — involved permission from the court to track cellphones, computers and vehicles connected to Hann. It also included an undercover operation of more than 20 scenarios that included connecting with Hann and his girlfriend.

According to court documents, in late May 2022 Hann stored what an undercover operator told him was an ounce of cocaine in a backhoe on his property in Little Rapids, just east of Corner Brook. He told the undercover officer, "I didn't see or hear anything."

Hann's use of the RCMP database was also scrutinized.

He had originally pleaded not guilty, and had a trial set for five days, but that was shortened to one day and Hann pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

The former police officer will serve his time through house arrest and community service, with conditions to abstain from alcohol and controlled substances, stay on his property unless for medical or family reasons and remain in the province.

In his remarks before handing down the sentences, Justice Garrett Handrigan said Hann unlawfully used the database to access 15 investigations he wasn't assigned to — cases involving drug traffickers he had relations with.

However, Handrigan said there was no indication that the data was shared. He also said Hann didn't actively seek to possess cocaine — as it was given to him by an undercover officer.

The Crown had asked for the six-month community sentences, noting the challenges Hann would face in prison as a former police officer.

His lawyer, Bob Buckingham, told the court Hann's guilty plea served as an "acceptance of responsibility" that needed to be accounted for in sentencing.

Hann said the same in his address to Handrigan, telling the court he felt a profound sense of shame that he brought upon the police force, his family and the community.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions," he said. "[It] has cast a shadow over the work."

Hann had been a police officer since 2007 and resigned in 2023.

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