Decade-old Edmonton fentanyl lab case delayed again after offender fires lawyer; judge cancels bail
Two men charged in one of Edmonton's earliest major fentanyl busts are still awaiting sentencing after one of the offenders fired his lawyer — further delaying a case that has been on the court docket nearly 10 years.
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Anthony Neville and Eric MacDonnell were due to be sentenced in Edmonton Court of King's Bench Thursday on counts of manufacturing and trafficking fentanyl. The charges stem from an investigation into a southeast Edmonton drug lab that ended with police raids on New Year's Eve 2015.
At the time, city police said the fentanyl seizures were their largest to date. The effects of the deadly opioid — which has since caused the deaths of thousands of Albertans — were only just making themselves known.
Thursday's hearing derailed shortly after it began. Neville — who, along with his co-accused, has been on bail pending sentencing — told Justice Kent Teskey he wished to fire lawyer Greg Genest and rehire the defence counsel he previously sacked.
Teskey allowed the move, saying Neville is facing a lengthy prison sentence and should be given time to find a new lawyer. However, he refused Neville's request to extend his bail and ordered both men taken into custody.
Sheriffs led the two into cells after they gave tearful goodbyes to loved ones in the court gallery.
Reason for delays not stated
Police announced the arrests in January 2016. At a press conference, investigators said they seized $435,000 worth of drugs from three properties linked to Neville and MacDonnell, including nearly 9,000 fentanyl pills, precursor chemicals, an automatic pill press and thousands of tabs of counterfeit Cialis and Viagra.
Neville and MacDonnell — aged 37 and 36, respectively — were found guilty after a trial June 18, 2025. Thursday's hearing did not get into why the proceedings were so delayed, besides citing Neville's earlier firing of his lawyer. The case was also the subject of Charter-related hearings.
The Supreme Court's 2016 Jordan decision on trial delays set a 30-month timeline for superior court trials to begin — though charges cannot be thrown out if the delays are caused by the defence.
Prosecutor Kurtis Streeper said the Crown sees Neville's decision to fire his lawyer as a potential 'delay tactic,' though he acknowledged Neville appears to be taking steps to hire new counsel. Streeper said the Crown is seeking a 'serious' sentence but did not specify the length. He did not ask Teskey to revoke bail.
MacDonnell, meanwhile, was ready to proceed with sentencing and planned to be taken into custody that day, lawyer Lance McClean said. Several family members had travelled from Prince Edward Island to support him.
Teskey, however, was not prepared to sentence the men separately and ordered both into custody. He initially allowed the two to remain on bail to get their affairs in order ahead of Thursday's hearing. The case is next in court on July 18 to set a date for sentencing.
Recent fentanyl lab cases have led to hefty sentences. In January, Jonathan Loyie, a man involved in what was described as Alberta's largest-ever fentanyl lab, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
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