KITCHENER — Former police officer Sheldon Cook — who stole what he thought was $500,000 worth of cocaine in a botched RCMP sting 10 years ago — has been released from prison after serving one-sixth of his sentence.

Cook, who lives in Cambridge, was a Peel Regional Police constable convicted of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of breach of trust by a public officer and theft, according to the Parole Board of Canada.

He was granted day parole on Oct. 2 and will get full parole on Sept. 11, 2016.

In 2010, Cook, now 48, was sentenced to five years and eight months. He went to prison in late October 2014 and got out after serving a little more than 11 months.

He took advantage of accelerated parole, which gives non-violent offenders the possibility of getting day parole after serving one-sixth of their sentence.

The option was outlawed by the Conservative government in 2011, but still applies to crimes committed before then.

If accelerated parole didn't apply, Cook would have had to serve four or five extra months to be eligible for day parole.

In setting Cook free, the parole board concluded he poses no threat of violence.

"You do not have any other criminal charges or any convictions for offences involving the use of violence," the board says in a written decision. "Moreover, there is no history of you using violence in any other activity."

The board also noted Cook committed no crimes while out on bail for nine years.

"The Correctional Service of Canada is of the view that you are not likely to commit an offence involving violence before expiration of your sentence."

Because of Cook's trafficking conviction, the parole board ordered him to stay away from criminals.

Day parole is designed to gradually prepare offenders for eventual full release into the community. Typically, offenders live at a halfway house and must follow parole conditions and any other conditions set by the parole board.

Under full parole, offenders can live in their own homes but must follow parole conditions and any conditions set by the parole board.

Offenders on day parole or full parole are under the supervision of a Correctional Services of Canada parole officer.

Although Cook was sentenced in 2010, he appealed and was out of custody until he dropped his appeal last year. He began serving his sentence in late October 2014.

Cook's troubles date back to 2005.

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In a drug sting that was supposed to lead the RCMP to a Canadian connection, the Mounties arranged for the purchase of 147 bricks of cocaine in Peru and replaced it with white flour.

The fake cocaine — with a GPS tracking device hidden inside — then moved to Pearson International Airport.

Peel police took control of the suspected drugs. The RCMP found 15 one-kilogram bricks inside Cook's garage in Cambridge. A judge concluded Cook thought it was cocaine.

If the bricks had been cocaine, they would have been worth as much as $540,000.

Cook insisted he was just following orders when he took the bricks home. A search of his home also found marijuana.

After his arrest, Cook remained on the police payroll. He received full pay up to his conviction in 2010, when he was suspended without pay. After entering prison, he was stripped of his officer status.

Cook is also a landlord of several properties in Waterloo Region and has had a few disputes with tenants.

Last year, tenants in a townhouse on Benton Street in Kitchener complained of a months-long sewage leak. Other tenants said they went without hot water for more than five weeks.

The Landlord and Tenant Board found Cook was at fault for not fixing the sewage leak but ruled he wasn't to blame for the lack of hot water. The board also threw out a demand by Cook that Benton Street tenants pay $400 to clean up their children's sidewalk chalk drawings.

In response to the complaint of no hot water, the Ontario Ministry of Housing last year charged Cook with withholding or interfering with the supply of a vital service. The charge was later withdrawn.