Drug dealer sentenced after Wasaga Beach man's fatal overdose on 3x lethal amount of fentanyl

A convicted drug dealer will spend eight years behind bars for selling a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 31-year-old Wasaga Beach man.

During the trial, the court heard James Glover had been released from a drug addiction rehab 12 hours before he bought the drugs from George Brazier on March 23, 2020.

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Hours later, Glover was found dead of an overdose in his parent's home.

James Glover is pictured in this undated photo. (Court exhibit)

Brazier was found guilty of manslaughter and selling cocaine and fentanyl to Glover in June.

On Friday, Justice Cary Boswell delivered his sentencing decision, saying Brazier's actions that day played a significant role in Glover's death, noting the Orillia man's history of dealing drugs.

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"He has zero insight into his offence and no remorse," Justice Boswell stated.

Justice Boswell said Brazier knew the dangers of dealing fentanyl and that he added it into our communities, which the Barrie judge said was as serious as the presence of firearms, pointing to the 23,000 lives lost to opioid overdose between 2016 and 2020, six times the number of homicide deaths in Canada over the same period.

"He has contributed to untold misery," Justice Boswell said.

During last month's sentencing submissions, the Crown called Brazier a coward for failing to show any insight, accountability, or remorse for his actions, adding he blames Glover for his overdose.

"He sells death. He knows exactly what he is selling. He knows it kills because everyone knows it kills," the Crown said. "He sold death for money."

The toxicology report found Glover had 10 nanograms of fentanyl in his blood - a dosage more than three times the lethal amount.

The defence argued Glover wanted the drugs, sought them out and insisted on buying them from Brazier, who was willing to sell them.

The Crown had asked for Brazier to be incarcerated for 12 years, while the defence sought a four to six-year sentence.

Ultimately, Justice Boswell decided a global sentence of eight years was appropriate for manslaughter and the trafficking of cocaine and fentanyl linked to Glover's death.

Part of Brazier's sentencing includes a weapons ban for life and no communication with Glover's family or a witness who testified she was with Glover the day he died.