By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SUDBURY—A man once known for his skills on the soccer field has now become a symbol of greed and indifference in the midst of Northern Ontario’s opioid crisis. Victor Branco, 25, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison at a Sudbury courthouse after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl and other crimes that have devastated families and communities in the region. Mr. Branco, who briefly represented Canada in youth soccer, abandoned any promise he might have shown in favour of pursuing what he described as “easy, fast money.” That pursuit led him to become a prolific drug trafficker, dealing lethal amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in Greater Sudbury and First Nations communities on Manitoulin Island. “The number of people dying from fentanyl…
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