SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - An Alberta man caught at the Hay River bus station with $4,800 worth of crack cocaine lodged between his butt cheeks was sentenced to 26 months in prison on Dec. 21.

Crown prosecutor Shannon Smallwood told the Supreme Court that on Aug. 10, 2010 the Yellowknife RCMP received a tip from the Peace River Correctional Centre in Alberta that Paul Everett Lawrence was boarding a bus in Peace River and heading to Yellowknife.

Lawrence, 23, made it as far as Hay River where the RCMP detained and strip searched him. During the search, officers first noticed that his boxer shorts appeared too baggy. After removing them, the officers saw that Lawrence's upper thighs were wrapped in packing tape. He was then ordered to "bend over," and when he did, a bag containing 40 rocks of crack cocaine fell from between his buttocks to the floor. Lawrence was arrested and charged with possession of the drug for the purpose of trafficking. The total amount of crack cocaine seized was 16.7 grams valued at $4,800, explained Smallwood.

The RCMP also seized a duffel bag containing a cell phone, $329 and $100 in American currency, a notebook and a can of repellent spray for drug "sniffer" dogs. Lawrence has been in custody since his Aug. 10 arrest.

Lawrence was convicted three times for drug possession in 2008, each resulting in a fine.

Smallwood and Michael Hansen, Lawrence's lawyer, jointly proposed a sentence of 30 months in jail minus credit for time served. Hansen said his client, an Alberta resident originally from Edmonton, has a seven-month-old daughter and a Grade 10 education. Hansen also told the court that the residential school experience has negatively affected Lawrence's family and his upbringing. On behalf of his client, Hansen requested he serve his time in the North and not return to Alberta where he might get drawn back into his former gang life.

Justice Virginia Schuler adjourned the sentencing on Monday. The next day, she accepted the joint submission and sentenced Lawrence to 26 months, crediting him for the four months he's already been in jail awaiting the completion of the court process.

Schuler, however, said it was "sad and ironic" to attempt to make a connection to the impact of residential school on Lawrence's family when explaining his troubled background. Lawrence, she said, adds to the misery of residential school survivors by providing them with drugs. Schuler also didn't grant Lawrence's request to serve his time in the North, explaining the decision was up to corrections officials.

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