National/CTV News
Canadian Press
CALGARY – The son of a former British Columbia MLA charged in a fentanyl bust in Calgary has made a brief court appearance.
Kasimir Tyabji-Sandana, who is 27, is charged with one count of importing a controlled substance and will remain in custody until his next court appearance on Sept. 16.
The Calgary man’s lawyer is working on setting a date for a bail hearing.
Police intercepted a package marked as a muffler from China last month at Vancouver’s International Mail Centre.
It was addressed to someone in Calgary and contained 122 grams of pure fentanyl, a synthetic opioid used primarily to treat severe pain.
Judi Tyabji was the youngest MLA in the B.C. legislature when she was elected in 1991 and went on to become the first woman to have a child while in office.
The man accused of importing a large quantity of fentanyl into the Calgary area appeared in court on Monday via CCTV.
Kasimir Tyabji, 27, has been in custody since he was arrested in July after a border agent in Vancouver found powdered fentanyl inside a parcel that was marked ‘muffler’.
RCMP and Calgary police launched an investigation and executed a search warrant on a home in the 2400 block of 14 Street SW on July 22.
Kasimir Tyabji, 27, of Calgary, is charged with one count of importing a controlled substance. (Facebook)
Police seized 122 grams of fentanyl with an estimated street value of $348,000 and charged Tyabji with one count of importing a controlled substance.
On Monday, the case was put over so both sides can make a decision on whether or not to apply for bail.
Health officials and police say fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs and can be fatal in very small doses.
According to Alberta Health Services, 145 people have died in Alberta from fentanyl overdoses so far this year.
Police say they have dealt with 34 incidents involving fentanyl seizures so far, compared to 12 in all of 2014.
Tyabji will be back in court on September 16
