Man charged in connection with fentanyl at Esgenoôpetitj denied bail
Jesse Joe, 35, of Fredericton is remanded into custody until court appearance May 29
A judge has denied bail to a Fredericton man who was charged with trafficking after a pill containing fentanyl was found on Esgenoôpetitj First Nation, where the drug is suspected in the overdoses of several people, including a woman who died.
Jesse Joe, 35, appeared in Miramichi provincial court Wednesday afternoon for a bail hearing.
There is a publication ban on the evidence presented to Judge Geri Mahoney.
Joe faces charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and breach of probation. He is scheduled to return to court on May 29.
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He has been in custody since he was arrested on the reserve April 20.
A 60-year-old man from Esgenoôpetitj First Nation, who was arrested the same day in connection with the case, was released pending a later court appearance. He has not yet been named.
Joe entered the courtroom Wednesday in handcuffs and wearing a grey T-shirt with stylized wings on it. He grinned and nodded at a man sitting in the public gallery, one of only five observers.
As the judge read the court documents in silence, marking sections with a pink highlighter, Joe waved at a woman and whispered and chuckled with the sheriff's deputies.
He had appeared in court on April 25 but was remanded to custody after his duty counsel requested time to review the file.
Police are continuing to investigate the death of a 35-year-old woman on April 11 on Esgenoôpetitj First Nation. They have said they are awaiting toxicology results.
A Health Canada analysis confirmed a pill seized from Esgenoôpetitj First Nation contained fentanyl, RCMP have said.
Health Canada describes fentanyl as a prescription painkiller about 100 times more powerful than morphine.
The pill seized by police after the fatal overdose on the reserve is blue and about one centimetre in diameter, with "Percocet 5" written on it.
Anyone with any information about the case is asked to contact the Neguac RCMP at 506-776-3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
With files from Shane Fowler