Drug bust: Richmond man caught with deadly fentanyl, cocaine, and cash in Tesla, sentenced to eleven years after massive drug bust

A Richmond man who was caught with a shopping bag filled with fentanyl, bricks of cocaine, and cash in his Tesla has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for drug trafficking. The court judgment, released this week, lays out the events that led to the arrest of Jason Thomas Howard Conrad, who pleaded guilty to two counts of possession for trafficking.

Arrest followed surveillance of suspected drug house

According to the sentencing decision by Justice Andrew Majawa, Conrad was under police surveillance in early 2023 as part of an investigation into a property on McLeod Court in Richmond. That home, police later confirmed, was being used to produce fentanyl.


Conrad was seen entering the residence empty-handed in February 2023 and leaving with a heavy-looking backpack. The next day, he returned carrying a bag and left without it. In March, after another visit, he was arrested. Police discovered 15.6 kilograms of fentanyl in a shopping bag he was carrying. The fentanyl, described as between 68 and 79 per cent pure, emitted a strong chemical odor. He also had three cellphones with him.

Cocaine, cash and weapons found

Police then searched Conrad’s Tesla, which was registered in his name. Inside, they found $47,800 in cash, two one-kilogram bricks of cocaine with high purity, a stun baton, and two additional cellphones. Nearly one year later, he was formally charged and taken into custody, where he remained until sentencing.

Justice Majawa found that Conrad acted as a courier in the drug operation, saying he “provided the necessary labour to transport the fentanyl and cocaine such that it could be introduced into the supply chain,” but that “his role does not reflect any decision-making power within any larger organization.”

Criminal history and public danger weighed in sentence

Conrad’s 28 prior convictions, including drug offences, assaults, property crimes, and breaches, were weighed heavily as aggravating factors. The judge described his moral culpability as high, noting he was a “mature man with a significant criminal history” at the time of the offence.

Justice Majawa also emphasized the danger posed by the quantity of fentanyl, calling it “enormous” and “nothing short of staggering.” He wrote that the drugs “would almost certainly have destroyed a very large number of lives of the users that would have consumed those drugs and of their family members.”

The judge considered Conrad’s guilty plea, which avoided a 16-week trial, as a mitigating factor, along with signs of remorse and attempts at rehabilitation. The 11-year sentence was jointly proposed by the Crown and defense and accepted by the court. With time served credited, Conrad’s remaining sentence amounts to nine years, one month, and 20 days.

“Mr. Conrad, I wish you success in your journey towards your rehabilitation,” Justice Majawa concluded.