Stratford man sentenced to 7.5 years after huge Charlottetown fentanyl seizure

A Stratford man will spend just over six years in federal prison for possession of fentanyl for the purpose of selling it, after a seizure that Charlottetown police called one of the province's largest to date. 

Tye James Poirier, 30, appeared in Charlottetown provincial court Friday morning. He entered the courtroom dressed in a grey sweat suit, with both his arms and legs in cuffs. Both of his parents, along with one brother, were in the courtroom when the sentence was handed down.

Poirier held hands with family members before Judge Jeff Lantz addressed the court.

Lantz said there was no doubt Poirier suffered from a "severe addiction" but called the amount of drugs found in Poirier's possession "troubling." He told the court he hoped this was rock bottom for the man and would ultimately lead him to get help with his addiction.

Lantz sentenced Poirier to 90 months in prison with a credit of 13 months for time already served, leaving him to spend another 77 months incarcerated. Poirier will also be required to give a DNA sample and won't be allowed to own a weapon for 10 years.

Poirier had pleaded guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking on the fentanyl charge in January. Two other drug charges were dropped at that time.

Stratford, P.E.I. man says he's 'deeply regretful' after judge sentences him in major fentanyl case

2 days ago

Duration 1:44

Tye James Poirier pleaded guilty earlier this year to one charge of possessing fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking after police seized 307 grams of fentanyl — enough to provide two doses for every man, woman and child on P.E.I. For that crime, Judge Jeff Lantz sentenced the 30-year-old man to 7.5 years in prison. CBC's Stacey Janzer reports.

'I'm deeply regretful'

Federal Crown prosecutor Jade Pictou had asked for a sentence of nine years, citing the seriousness of the crime and the sheer amount of drugs Poirier was in possession of.

She told the court the fentanyl seized contained methamphetamine and parafluorofentanyl, which is seven times stronger than fentanyl, and Poirier was carrying enough of the drug for each of the roughly 179,000 people who live in P.E.I. to have two doses.

Pictou did acknowledge Poirier's early guilty plea and the fact that he has a supportive family in her recommendation, but added that he's been given many opportunities to change and hasn't done so.

Poirier's legal aid lawyer, Chris Van Ouwerkerk, pointed to a pre-sentence report that detailed his client's 15-year struggle with addiction. He told the court his client started with marijuana, escalating from alcohol and pot to prescription drugs and ultimately hard drugs like fentanyl, heroin and cocaine.

Charlottetown police seize second-largest amount of fentanyl in P.E.I. to date

9 months ago

Duration 1:32

A bust on June 14 led to the seizure of 339 grams of fentanyl, making it the second-largest amount of the drug to be seized on the Island to date. CBC's Laura Meader and Connor Lamont spoke to Charlottetown police Chief Brad MacConnell about the deadly dangers of fentanyl.

The court heard Poirier has accidentally overdosed seven times, struggling with an addiction so severe he used drugs at work and once overdosed on the job. 

Van Ouwerkerk also said Poirier and his wife had separated shortly before his arrest, which contributed to his relapse.

Poirer addressed the court on Friday, saying there was no excuse for his actions and he was ready to accept the consequences.

"I'm deeply regretful for the decisions I've made to support my addiction," he said. "I'm very sorry."

The defence asked for a sentence of four years (or 48 months) if the judge decided Poirier's addiction was an aggravating factor, or five years (60 months) if it wasn't taken into account.

Second-largest bust in P.E.I. history

Charlottetown Police said they arrested Poirier in 2024 after a Street Crime Unit investigation that led to the seizure of 339 grams of fentanyl and about 1,000 pills.

At the time, police believed it to be the second-largest fentanyl bust in the province's history, with an estimated street value on that drug alone of about $170,000.

Fentanyl and other high-potency opioids have been pinpointed as fuel for the overdose, homelessness and mental health crises seen across North America in the last decade.

P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Office had to warn Islanders about fentanyl circulating in the community at least twice in 2024: once in February after there were seven overdoses in one day, and then after six overdoses on another single day in June.

Poirier is a former employee of the Charlottetown-based emergency shelter, a provincially run overnight shelter on Park Street for those experiencing homelessness. The province has said Poirier left that job in December 2023, six months before his 2024 arrest.

No link between Poirier's drug dealing and his employment with that shelter has been established in court.