Crown racks up more drug convictions as judge hands out jail time
Maria Canton
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 31/01) - Four people arrested as a result of the RCMP's Operation Guiness drug bust will spend time behind bars after pleading guilty to charges of trafficking marijuana in Territorial Court yesterday.
Judge Michel Bourassa told the court he wants to make it clear that if people choose to traffic drugs, they will go to jail.
"People involved with drugs are all part of the same sub-culture and they are all inter-dependent," said Bourassa.
Andrew Layland, 35, was sentenced to 90 days in jail to be served on weekends after pleading guilty to selling an undercover agent two ounces of marijuana for $750.
Before he was sentenced Layland told the court that selling drugs was something he did for "free smoke and not for the money."
Ricky Storey, 27, will spend four months in jail, despite his defense counsel telling the court it was simply a "social transaction."
Storey sold a quarter ounce of marijuana to an undercover agent for $100.
Storey's previous criminal record was a factor in the sentencing.
Albert Pittman, 24, who "(made) himself available at a location well-known for selling drugs" was fined $1,500 and sentenced to a day in jail after he sold an undercover agent six grams of marijuana for $120.
Derek Edjericon, 23, was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he sold a quarter ounce of marijuana to an undercover agent.
His defence counsel told the court the transaction was a "bad decision to help a friend" and that Edjericon is "not a determined, hard-core trafficker."
Some 10 other people charged in connection with Operation Guiness also made appearances in court, but had their cases put over to later dates in February.
