Inside a London courtroom Wednesday, 25-year-old Taymoor Pasha was handed down a 16.5-year sentence for what is deemed one of the largest drug seizures in Canada.
In January of 2023, as a result of an investigation called “Project Oasis,” Pasha was arrested and faced a laundry list of charges, including trafficking and possession of prohibited weapons.
The court heard Pasha, who was born and raised in London, nicknamed ‘Osama,’ was trafficking cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in London and Sarnia.
During the drug bust, police seized a long list of narcotics, including 15 kilograms of fentanyl and three kilograms of cocaine, for an estimated street value of $3.2 million.
In November, Pasha pleaded guilty to one count of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
When handing down his sentence, Justice Michael Carnegie referred to Pasha as a “wholesale commercial trafficker,” and said he took into consideration London’s ongoing opioid crisis.
“Mr. Pasha has been found to posses, for the purpose of trafficking, a staggering amount of one of the most harmful addictive substances available,” continued Justice Carnegie. “The quantity of fentanyl in his possession at this time was unprecedented in this area. Equally the damage that fentanyl is doing to this community, to this region, and across the world rises to crisis levels.”
Justice Carnegie said he took into consideration Pasha’s guilty plea, the lawyer’s joint submission, and other mitigating factors such as poor cell conditions during his pre-sentence custody.
With time served, Pasha will be in prison for 14.5 years, and is also restricted from possessing firearms for life, and other weapons for a period of 10 years.
