SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A 17-year-old who swallowed thousands of dollars worth of crack and cocaine in an effort to hide the drugs from police, but later vomited them up while in jail, appeared in territorial court on Tuesday.

The teenager, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, ingested 31 bags of crack and nine bags of cocaine.

He pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to traffic, possession of marijuana and failure to comply with conditions of his release from jail.

He has been sentenced to supervision under his mother's care for four months.

Crown prosecutor Glen Boyd said the teenager was part of a "dial and dope system." The teen was arrested while getting a ride in the backseat of a red Mustang in downtown Yellowknife on July 24. Passengers were reportedly passing something to him from the front seat.

"They saw hand movements in the vehicle and he was swallowing water out of a plastic bottle when they (RCMP officers) approached," said Boyd.

Police found a small package of cocaine in the vehicle and they seized $2,190 worth of cash.

Before police arrested him, the teen swallowed the drugs, which were recovered after he regurgitated them in his jail cell and hid them in a sock. Boyd said the ingested drugs weighed 26 grams and were worth between $5,000 and $6,000. The teenager spent five days in custody and was arrested again on Aug. 5 with seven grams of marijuana and $140 in cash.

Judge Christine Gagnon called the charges a "very serious offence," adding "he only expressed regret at having been caught."

The maximum sentence for trafficking cocaine is five years in prison.

"The sentence must be sufficiently onerous to hold the young person accountable," she said.

Gagnon ordered the teen to live with his mother and abide by a 9 p.m. curfew.

Gagnon also told the boy he had to stay away from his two friends who were in the car when he was arrested and complete 100 hours of community service.

The pre-sentence report stated that the boy started using drugs and drinking in Grade 6 or 7.

"The possibility you spend time (in jail) is real and it depends on your ability to comply with conditions," Gagnon said in closing.