Grafton man questions why RCMP list him as a ‘priority' offender after raid on his home

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By Devon Judge

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A Grafton man charged with trafficking marijuana is publicly wondering how and why he was labelled a "priority offender" by RCMP.

Glendon Donald McLaughlin was charged Tuesday in Woodstock court with possession of less than three kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possession of ecstasy, and possession of a .303 rifle and ammunition while prohibited from possessing firearms and explosives.

District 7 RCMP officers executed a search warrant at McLaughlin's home on Monday, Nov. 10, and stated in a press release "a quantity of marijuana, ecstasy pills, drug paraphernalia, a .303 rifle, ammunition and $2,355 in cash was seized."

At the same time, RCMP labelled the 42-year-old McLaughlin as a "priority" or "prolific" offender.

Sgt. John de Winter said McLaughlin was placed on District 7's top 10 prolific offender's list based on data entries into the policing system and on information gathered or received by officers.

"We noted him as a prolific offender because we felt we could justify him as a prolific offender," Sgt. de Winter stated.

McLaughlin said he thinks the only reason he's on the list is because of a few charges of possession of marijuana. He is scheduled for trial on one count of possession on Friday, Nov. 21, for an incident at the Demolition Derby in Woodstock two years ago.

"I smoke pot, I'm not going to lie about it," he told the Bugle-Observer in an interview on Monday. "I got caught twice in ‘02 and I got caught once in ‘04 or ‘05 for a couple of grams at the derby. Back in ‘98 I think I got caught with a little bit, but it's never been more than a bag or two."

He added this was the first time the police seized any cash from him.

"The only reason I had money was I just took it out of the safe the night before," he said. "I just collected up enough money to go pay off my taxes. That Monday morning my mortgage was due, I owed some back taxes and I had a $700 credit card bill. I've got statements right here where I've done jobs for people between the 22nd of October and the fifth or seventh of November. They paid me all cash and they equal up to $1,900."

McLaughlin said he runs his new business, McLaughlin & Son Plumbing & Heating, on cash transactions.

"It's stupid for me to run back and forth to the bank three times a day or using my bank card and paying for it or using cheques and paying for it," he said. "I get a couple jobs paid up, I throw it in the safe, I get enough money, I go in to pay my month's bills."

McLaughlin also took issue with the officers executing the search pointing their guns at his seven-year-old son.

"I'm no angel, but the guns were way unnecessary, especially after they seen my son there," he said. "They woke my roommate up, the guy that boards with me – he was woke up with a 9mm pointed at his friggin' head. That's crazy. What's up with that? They said ‘well, we heard you were a violent offender.' I said ‘violent offender, the last time I had violence was 2002, 2003 when I used to drink all the time.

"I ain't saying I never had problems, but there's no thefts, there's no trafficking for any kind of drugs, there's possession for marijuana because I smoke it."

Sgt. de Winter noted a child being in the home when the search was conducted is out of the officers' control.

"The judge gives us such a time to complete the search," Sgt. de Winter said. "Drug trafficking is a huge issue within all Canadian communities. It causes a lot of havoc, deaths and crime sprees. It's not just drug trafficking itself, it's all the spin-offs."

Sgt. de Winter said 90 grams of marijuana were seized from the home and a quantity of ecstasy pills. He confirmed officers did not locate any cocaine, which was also listed in the warrant, along with cannabis, currency, scales, score sheets, baggies and scissors.

McLaughlin claims the pills seized were "trucker pills" or uppers.

"They're glorified trucker pills," he said. "You can tell what they are. These seven officers, members of the elite drug squad in Woodstock that don't know what a trucker pill looks like, like come on. They knew that was trucker pills when they told you guys that was ecstasy."

Sgt. de Winter stated RCMP believe the pills to be ecstasy.

McLaughlin went on to say the rifle was a friend's gun he was taking to Millville to get fixed and the ammunition found was that of his roommate's.

"A friend of my roommates, I know him now too, he dropped off an old .303 British with no clip and no firing pin and asked if we were going to Millville anytime soon," McLaughlin explained. "We said leave it there. There was no trigger lock on it and it wasn't in a case, but it don't work. It's not really officially a gun if it ain't got no firing pin, no clip. They took that and Roger's clip to his .12-gauge that he got off his brother and two or three boxes of bullets that were sitting there on the dishwasher. He just came in from hunting that evening and we leave the guns out to the camp but we don't leave the bullets at the camp."

Sgt. de Winter said McLaughlin's 10-year prohibition says he cannot be in possession of any firearms, whether they work or not, and he cannot possess any ammunition.

On Tuesday, McLaughlin requested a two- or three-month adjournment to collect enough money together to pay a lawyer to look at his case.

"They took all my cash," he told the court.

Crown prosecutor Ken Oliver said a two- to three-month adjournment was out of the ordinary, adding he would not object to a one-month delay.

Judge William McCarroll set the matter over until Dec. 15 at 9:30 a.m. for elections and pleas on the charges.