'New breed of Percocet' causing overdoses, accused drug dealer told police

A Fredericton man on trial for drug trafficking in connection with a pill containing fentanyl that was found in Esgenoôpetitj First Nation last spring told police a "new breed of Percocet" was causing people to overdose, the courtroom heard  Thursday.

Jesse Joe, 35, admitted during a statement to police that he'd been in possession of blue Percocet pills, said Crown prosecutor Caroline Lirette.

Joe told RCMP he returned to his home community of Esgenoôpetitj on April 8, and four people "dropped" after he got back, said Lirette. 

On April 11, a woman suffered a fatal overdose in the community east of Miramichi.

• Man on trial for allegedly selling drugs in Esgenoôpetitj faces 7 new charges
• Man charged in connection with fentanyl at Esgenoôpetitj denied bail

Police later seized a blue pill that had "Percocet 5" written on it, but have not yet explained how or from where they obtained it.

A Health Canada analysis confirmed the pill contained fentanyl, a prescription painkiller the agency has described as being about 100 times more powerful than morphine.

When Joe was charged, police said several people from Esgenoôpetitj had been hospitalized for suspected overdoses of fentanyl.

Police were still awaiting toxicology results in the fatal overdose on April 11 of  Ann Marie Lambert, the 35-year-old mother of a young son, they said at the time.

Joe's statement to police was admitted into evidence on Thursday morning, the second day of his judge-only trial at Miramichi provincial court. 

Judge Geri Mahoney ruled following a voir dire that the statement was admissible. Police neither threatened him to get the statement, nor made promises of a reduced sentence, the judge said.

The trial was scheduled to continue on Aug. 30 and 31, but wrapped up on Thursday.

A date for a decision will be set on Aug. 30 at 9:30 a.m.

Joe is also scheduled to face a bail hearing on Aug. 30 at 3 p.m. on seven new charges. They include trafficking in fentanyl, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, three counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, as well as obstruction of justice and breach of probation.

The Crown has declined to comment on whether those charges are related to the overdoses in Esgenoôpetitj.

On Wednesday, the trial heard from Ethan Mitchell, 21, who said he purchased nine round blue pills marked "Percocet" from Joe in April for $60.

You couldn't talk about a lethal dose of Percocet.- Marc Fortin, RCMP drug expert

Mitchell's cousin, Vincent Lambert, 56, testified to overdosing from taking one and a half of those pills.

RCMP drug expert Sgt. Marc Fortin told the court Thursday that would be highly unlikely if the pills were indeed Percocet — a prescription drug containing a low dose of Oxycontin and mostly acetaminophen.

The Crown asked Fortin how much Percocet it would take for someone to die.

"You couldn't talk about a lethal dose of Percocet," he replied.

But the problem, he said, is that unless a pill is analyzed by a lab, there's no way to know for sure what's in it. That's a real concern for police, said Fortin, because people with addictions are buying pills and consuming them without really knowing what they contain.

None of the pills Joe allegedly sold were ever recovered.

 Lirette acknowledged during her closing arguments her evidence against Joe is mostly circumstantial.

A 60-year-old man from Esgenoôpetitj First Nation, on Miramichi Bay, was also arrested in connection with the case but was released pending a later court appearance.