Son of former B.C. MLA pleads guilty to attempted acetyl fentanyl possession

The son of a former B.C. MLA has pleaded guilty to attempting topossessacetyl fentanyl, which is aless potent version of fentanyl.

Kasimir Tyabji-Sandanaof Calgarymade a brief appearance on Monday to the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench andentered the plea.

The investigation began on July 14, 2015, when a border agent at the Vancouver International Mail Centre intercepted a parcel declared as a muffler.

The agent then discovered a white powder suspected to befentanyland sent it to a lab for confirmation.

Thrown from balcony

On July 22, 2015, an undercover police officer posedas a Canada Post employee and delivered the package to Tyabji-Sandana, who accepted it.

The drug was removed for safety reasons and replaced with an inert substance before delivery, according to an agreed statement of facts read out in court.

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The man then subsequently opened the package. Hethrew it from the balcony of the residence as the Calgary Police Service's tactical team executed a search warrant on the residence.

Police said 122 grams offentanylwereseized, with an estimated value of $348,000.

'Dark period'

Tyabji-Sandanawill serve atwo-year, less a day,conditional sentence in B.C. He iscurrently attending the University of British Columbia, studyinginternational relations.

The first eight months of hissentence will be served as house arrest, followed by eight months with a curfew and the last five months asprobation.

Tyabji-Sandana did not speak in court.

Crown prosecutor Nick Devlinsaid the incident occurred during a "dark period" in the man's life, when he was 27. Devlin said he isnow ashamed of the embarrassment he's caused himself and his family.

Tyabji-Sandana'stwo sisters andhis mother, former B.C. MLA JudiTyabji,were in court to support him.

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