SASKATOON – A 42-year-old man accused of selling meth, fentanyl, GHB, Xanax, and LSD was sentenced in Saskatoon court Friday to eight years in prison.
Kurt Elliott Miller was wanted by police for 10 months after skipping his sentencing hearing in February in a North Battleford court. In December 2021 he had pleaded guilty and was given time to get his affairs in order before receiving a lengthy prison sentence.
In November, police located and arrested him in Edmonton, Alta., and charged him with more drug trafficking offences.
On the charges stemming from the raid of his rural home north of Biggar in May 2020, Miller was sentenced to six-years and ordered to provide his DNA.
He was given two years consecutive on a drug trafficking charge from another incident, and two years concurrent on charges of possession of a restricted firearm and possession of a loaded restricted firearm [sawed off shotgun] from a separate incident in 2021. He was also banned from owning firearms for life.
May 2020 raid of Miller's rural property
The Saskatchewan RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit had raided Miller’s property north of Biggar following a traffic stop by Regina Police. Miller was charged with trafficking cocaine, trafficking methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, alazopram (Xanax), gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000, and 16 firearms related offences.
At the rural property, police seized methamphetamine, fentanyl, GHB, Xanax pills and LSD. They also seized numerous weapons including a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun, a spent anti-tank weapon, a revolver and body armour. In addition, they found $16,080 in Canadian currency, money counters, packaging for drugs, eight cell phones, computers, and tablets.
At the rural property, police also arrested Mitch Hutchinson.
Miller's co-accused Mitch Hutchinson sentenced
Hutchinson was sentenced to seven years in prison. He pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded prohibited firearm, possession of a firearm loaded with ammunition, and four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking fentanyl, GHB, LSD and meth.
Hutchinson admitted to shooting an officer when they surrounded the rural home. His lawyer told the court that it was dark, he couldn't see, and thought it was a coyote. The officer was treated immediately for minor injuries. Hutchinson surrendered shortly after. Hutchinson sold drugs and it was his job to protect the rural house owned by Miller, court heard.
Miller released on bail, several times
Miller was released on bail shortly after his arrest in May 2020. He was arrested again in mid 2021 and charged with more drug trafficking offences in southern Saskatchewan. He was released on bail again and skipped his sentencing hearing.
On Nov. 1, Saskatchewan RCMP Warrant and Enforcement Team [WEST], along with officers from Moose Jaw RCMP Crime Reduction Team, and Saskatoon F-SOC deployed to Red Deer, Alta., and worked in collaboration with the Red Deer ALERT [Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team] and corroborated information to better locate and identify Miller’s whereabouts and activities. Based on all the information gathered by investigators, Miller was believed to be in Edmonton.
The next day, WEST deployed to Edmonton in an effort to locate Miller.
On Nov. 3, WEST stopped a vehicle along the intersection of 82 Ave. and 105 Street in Edmonton and found Miller in the back seat and arrested him.
Miller was charged with trafficking, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of equipment for use in production of an illegal drug.
Miller hasn’t appeared yet in an Alberta court on those charges.
Federal prosecutions in Edmonton told SASKTODAY.ca in an email Monday that they will proceed with those charges when the charges have been laid by the police.
“There will be a court date in Edmonton Provincial Court once police execute the warrant on those charges,” said Johnathan Kerber, team leader – Major Cases and Organized Crime Unit, Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
— for more from Crime, Cops and Court.
