Five Guiness suspects sent to jail
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Feb 16/01) - The gavel has come down heavily on five men swept up in the Guiness drug bust.
In sentencing the latest suspects from November's big drug bust, territorial court Judge Brian Bruser handed out the toughest penalty yet.
Tuan Ngoc Tran, 24, was sentenced to four years in jail after he pleaded guilty to two charges of trafficking cocaine. Crown prosecutor Sadie Bond dismissed 15 of the 17 charges Tran originally faced.
Police began building the case against Tran last spring.
Court was told that on March 18 Tran sold 10 grams of cocaine, for $800, to an undercover civilian agent acting on instruction from RCMP Cpl. Dan Nolan. Then on July 22, Tran sold two ounces of cocaine to the same undercover agent for $4,000. The RCMP agent wore a hidden audio recording device, during both drug buys with Tran.
"There is no doubt here that Mr. Tran is a commercial trafficker ... he's not selling at the gram level..." said Bruser.
The judge also cracked down on Douglas Leonard Knutson, 43, sentencing him to an 18-month jail term. He pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking marijuana and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Bruser rejected a nine-month sentence agreement struck between the Crown and defense attorney Sid Tarrabain.
"The sentence is, in my view, not fit," said Bruser.
"This offender is not a street-level trafficker. He's more than that: he's a distributor."
The judge called Knutson's 3608 Franklin Ave. home a "distributorship or wholesale warehouse for the sale of marijuana."
During an Oct. 12 search of the home, police seized 1,438.3 grams (more than three pounds) of marijuana, almost $15,000 in cash and $290 in U.S. currency.
Knutson agreed to forfeit $10,000 of the money seized.
Bruser took six months off Knutson's sentence for time already served since his arrest on Nov. 15.
Mark Rocher, 38, was sentenced to a nine-months jail term after he pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana. His sentence will be reduced by six months for time he has spent in jail since his arrest.
Court was told that on July 12 Rocher sold half a pound of marijuana to the undercover agent for $1,100. The agent was wearing a recording device.
Eight other charges against Rocher were dropped.
Cases against two other men are continuing.
Sin Sang Banh, 31, was sentenced to nine months in jail for breach of undertaking. One count of trafficking cocaine was dropped, but Banh is awaiting a territorial court trial on another trafficking charge.
Jason Pound, 22, was sentenced to nine months in prison for trafficking marijuana on July 22. Pound sold one-half pound of marijuana for $1,800 to the undercover civilian agent. The transaction was recorded on audio and video tape. Pound is awaiting a Supreme Court trial by judge and jury on other matters related to his arrest on Nov. 15.
The Crown dismissed several charges against other individuals arrested as a result of Operation Guiness. Several others are still awaiting court appearances.
