A federal prosecutor called for an 11-year penitentiary term for a Sault Ste. Marie man who was busted with an "enormous quantity" of fentanyl three years ago.
Mickey Buonomo was found with 460 grams — nearly half a kilogram — of a deadly drug that is the "scourge of a generation" and has killed so many people in this community and across the country, Joe Chapman said.
Typically, it is a narcotic that users consume one tenth of a gram or less, the Manitoulin Island-based Crown told the court last week.
What Buonomo had was "beyond general local street dealing," particularly when you have that amount of a drug, as well as a weapon, Chapman argued.
A jury found Buonomo, 44, and Shane Whiteman, 45, guilty of three drug-related offences in April.
The pair was convicted of possession of two drugs — fentanyl and methamphetamine — for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of a prohibited weapon (a conductive energy weapon).
They were among four people charged in connection with a Nov. 14, 2021 incident on Pine Street which Sault Police described as a high-risk traffic stop.
Officers seized $260,000 in narcotics.
Jurors found two other co-accused not guilty of the same charges.
Last Wednesday, Buonomo pleaded guilty to a further charge of possession of a prohibited weapon while banned by a court order from having such weapons.
Chapman cited the need for general deterrence to send a message to others engaged in similar behaviour involving highly addictive drugs.
The offender has a record but not a substantial one, he told Superior Court Justice Patrick Boucher, regional senior judge for the northeast region, who presided at the trial.
In May 2023, Buonomo received a "significant sentence" of three years for trafficking and weapons offences, which included possession of fentanyl, he said.
These offences stemmed from an incident that occurred on July 30, 2021.
With the credit he received for his pre-sentence custody on those charges, he faced a further 307 days behind bars.
Some of Buonomo's actions while incarcerated are encouraging, Chapman noted.
Nine years is "the floor," the prosecutor said, adding that given his record, 10 or 11 years incarceration would be acceptable, he said.
Defence lawyer Anthony Orazietti called for seven years in prison, agreeing the focus in this case is general deterrence as opposed to specific deterrence.
Buonomo's involvement in the drug culture wasn't for financial gain, he said.
"The underlying cause was to feed his addiction."
Pre-sentence and Gladue reports indicate he had a difficult and horrendous childhood, Orazietti said.
Substance abuse affected his life, and he began using cocaine and crack while a teenager.
Buonomo was sober for 18 years, but then spiralled out of control following his father's death in 2020.
"It pushed him over the edge," the defence told Boucher.
Following his arrest, Buonomo completed every program available to him while he was incarcerated.
"He has taken unique steps to rehabilitate himself," Orazietti said, referring to the Gladue report writer's observations.
"He understands this is a continuous journey he must stay on. He's not cured. He is still an addict and is learning to cope."
Both of the reports noted Buonomo had expressed remorse, indicating his shame, embarrassment, self disgust and regrets for being involved in Sault Ste. Marie's drug culture.
He wanted to apologize to the community and to his family for the shame he brought to them, the defence said.
Orazietti noted his record had an 18-year gap, and for the majority of his adult life he was a contributing member of society.
Buonomo has been a member of the labourers' union since 2008 and is eager to get back to work, the court heard.
"He has a real prospect of rehabilitation."
Boucher will impose sentence on Jan 16.
Meanwhile, Whiteman will be back in court on Dec. 6 for his sentencing hearing.