Kelowna drug dealer who kept his fentanyl in a Hello Kitty bag won't escape jail | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Kelowna drug dealer who kept his fentanyl in a Hello Kitty bag won't escape jail

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KELOWNA - A Kelowna drug dealer who was busted with a stolen motorbike in 2017, is heading back to prison after police found his Hello Kitty bag contained a stash of hard drugs that included fentanyl.

The Hello Kitty bag – which is normally marketed to young girls – held a scale and plastic bags, along with a smaller ladybug bag. That smaller bag held 30 lottery ticket envelopes and a dozen plastic bags containing 15 grams of a heroin-fentanyl-cocaine mixture, .88 grams of crack cocaine and .3 grams of methamphetamine.

He also had a can of bear spray tucked into his waistband and more than $1,200 in cash, according to a sentencing decision from March and published today, April 24. 

Scott Nicolaas William Hulshof, 41, was spotted by police riding a 2010 Kawasaki motorcycle to a gas station convenience store on May 4, 2017. Noticing the licence plate had expired, police arrested him inside the store for possession of stolen property.

The bike had a screwdriver in the ignition instead of a key.

When searched, police found the Hello Kitty bag around Holshof’s neck.

Holshof has a long criminal record with 31 convictions stretching back to 1997, including a number of assault and posession for the purpose of trafficking coinvictions. He spent two terms in federal prisons.

Despite that, and a childhood history of suffering sexual and physical abuse and an adult history where he has been beaten up, stabbed and shot at, Justice Michael Brundrett was told Hulshof has finally turned a corner. He's in recovery, working and helping others.

Because of that, Holshof’s lawyer asked for a suspended sentence while the Crown asked for three years in prison.

Brundrett indicated he might have liked to give him a break because of his progress in elevating himself from a life of crime, but couldn't go too far.

“Mr. Hulshof's sentencing presents a conundrum,” Brundrett said. “His conduct in again trafficking narcotics must primarily be deterred and denounced."

Fentanyl was another complicating factor that demanded a higher sentence in B.C. given the high number of deaths related to that drug. That included 141 deaths in Kelowna in the last three years. But, the judge stressed, “there is no evidence that anyone died from the fentanyl sold by this offender.”

Given all those factors, Holshof was sentenced to two years in jail for possession for the purpose of trafficing. Given the five months he’s already served, that means a 19-month sentence. He was also given two months for possession of the stolen motorcycle but that will run concurrently so no extra time will be served.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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