C2

Mike Mullen
Telegraph-Journal

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SAINT JOHN - The oldest of the five men charged with a wide array of drug-related offences in the wake of the Operation June Bug drug raid on a Wright Street apartment on Feb. 11 pleaded guilty to two charges in a surprise development Wednesday.

"I want to save the court a lot of trouble, and plead guilty," James Wayne Theriault, 60, of St. James Street, said.

He then pleaded guilty to an indictable count of conspiring together with others - to traffic in a controlled substance, namely cannabis marijuana, between Sept. 23 and 26 of last year; and to a summary charge of acting together with others to traffic in marijuana last Sept. 26.

But later, after he said he was only involved in helping transport six pounds of marijuana, valued at $9,000, from St. Andrews to Saint John by truck on Sept. 6 in exchange for some weed for personal use, the Crown agreed to withdraw the conspiracy charge.

Federal prosecutor Gerald McCracken asked for a three or four-month jail term for Theriault at first, but after provincial court Judge Alfred Brien, asked to see the man's record, upped that request to six months due to its length. Although there were no drug charges, Brien gave the man six months.

Four other men face charges in the wake of the Operation June Bug raid.

Allan Henry Albert, 29, faces 10 charges, Caleb Richard Merzetti, 24, faces nine, Patrick Thomas O'Neil, 28, faces nine charges and Michael David Somerville, 37, faces one charge.

Albert, who remains in jail, earlier elected trial by a court of Queen's Bench judge and jury on eight of his 10 charges, meaning those charged together with him also must go that route. After hearing motions on disclosure by the defence, Brien put off setting a date for any preliminary hearing until the four remaing co-accused return to court at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 19.