A Canadian court has handed down an eight-year prison sentence to a man convicted of attempting to smuggle a massive quantity of the deadly opioid fentanyl through Montreal's primary international airport.
The Discovery and Arrest
The case unfolded on February 23, 2021, when Besnik Zeneli, a 39-year-old resident of London, Ontario, arrived at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Dorval. Zeneli had flown in from Kosovo and was selected for a secondary inspection by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers.
During the search, agents made a shocking discovery. Hidden inside children's books written in a foreign language were 1,165 fentanyl patches. An investigator later estimated the street value of the seized narcotics at approximately $550,000.
Court Proceedings and Joint Recommendation
Zeneli pleaded guilty to the charges in July. During his sentencing hearing this week, Quebec Court Judge Dennis Galiatsatos expressed significant personal disagreement with the joint sentencing recommendation presented by the prosecution and defence.
The joint submission proposed the eight-year term. However, Judge Galiatsatos stated that, left to his own devices, he would have imposed a 15-year prison sentence. He cited Zeneli's breach of bail conditions, where he relapsed and resumed using fentanyl in October, as a particularly aggravating factor.
"With great respect, I believe that the joint recommendation is wholly inappropriate," the judge remarked in court. Despite his strong reservations, he felt bound by precedent from the Supreme Court of Canada, which requires judges to accept joint recommendations unless they are deemed contrary to the public interest.
Sentencing and Aftermath
Ultimately, Judge Galiatsatos imposed the eight-year sentence. He noted that any attempt by him to deliver a harsher penalty would likely be overturned on appeal, given the legal framework surrounding joint submissions.
Prior to the sentencing, Zeneli's defence lawyer, Sabrina Lapolla, requested a court order ensuring her client receives medical attention in prison. Zeneli is undergoing a methadone treatment plan for his addiction, and Lapolla asked that he be seen at a penitentiary infirmary to continue his care.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges border officials face in intercepting potent opioids like fentanyl, which continues to fuel a public health crisis across Canada. The method of concealment—within children's books—also underscores the lengths to which traffickers will go to evade detection.
