This wasn’t Floriano (Floyd) Daponte’s first trip to court on drug charges. But it could be for one of the biggest Middlesex County drug busts in recent memory.

Daponte, 61, made his first court appearance Monday after the OPP swooped down on his Coltsfoot Road property near Strathroy Sunday, seizing an estimated $1.1 million in cash and drugs.

Daponte, charged with drug possession, was hoping to get a bail hearing 24 hours after his arrest.

But federal drug prosecutor Brian Farmer told justice of the peace Robert Seneshen that police were still counting the stash of pills and needed to finalize their report.

Farmer did give some indication about the drug haul: 7,959 OxyContin tablets, 3,467 morphine tablets and 100 fentanyl patches. There are also reports that a kilo of cocaine, 450 grams of crack cocaine and $84,000 in cash was found.

The police didn’t leave the property until 8 p.m. Sunday night. “We need time to be fully apprized of the facts,” Farmer said.

Two other people— a man and woman — have also been charged.

Daponte’s defence lawyer, Enzo Battigaglia, pressed for a bail hearing, arguing the exact totals of drugs weren’t needed. One surety has come forward.

Seneshen disagreed and said the court had a full plate of bail hearings Monday. Battigaglia said there should be a second bail court to handle the case. But Sensehen said only one federal drug prosecutor was available for the hearing.

Daponte’s name was mentioned during the recent shocking trial for negligence causing death of Amanda Dumont, 32, and Scott Bakker, 29, charged in the death of 20-month old Ryker Daponte-Michaud.

Dumont is Daponte’s daughter and Ryker, who died of shock and dehydration from burns suffered three days earlier from a scalding cup of coffee, was Daponte’s grandson.

Daponte was acquitted in 2015 after another police search that turned up crack cocaine, pot and pills at a Napier Road property that has 31 structures on it, including two houses and small buildings for dog kennels and bird coops.

None of the drugs could be directly placed on Daponte.

The property is known as the “dog gulag” of Middlesex County, named after Daponte was busted in 2008 for animal cruelty.

Sarnia police had gone to the property looking for stolen property but called in the humane society when they found more than 100 dogs, plus sheep, goats and chickens living in deplorable conditions. Daponte was sentenced to a year of probation. At the time, the court was told he had a criminal record dating back 25 years.

Daponte is currently facing drug charges laid earlier this year.

Daponte’s bail hearing is tentatively slated for Tuesday.

jsims@postmedia.com

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