Conviction ends career plans for student addicted to and selling cocaine

Conviction ends career plans for coke-dealing pharmacy student

WINNIPEG - Patrick Cheung was dispensing drugs even before he graduated pharmacy school. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old Winnipeg man’s unusual attempt to get ahead in class has destroyed his future career plans.

Cheung pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of cocaine and ecstasy for the purpose of trafficking. He was given a two year less-a-day conditional sentence, to be served in the community, under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.

Cheung has no prior criminal record and is not a "typical" criminal, court was told.

He had already completed three years of post-secondary education and was studying to become a licenced pharmacist. Defence lawyer Danny Gunn said his client was having trouble focusing on all the work and turned to drugs as a "study aid."

"He used cocaine to keep him up and awake. He was able to study so much more," said Gunn. But Cheung quickly developed an addiction, which came with a steep price. So he began selling the product in order to allow him to keep using it.

"It’s a very unfortunate situation," said Gunn. "Obviously he can’t become a pharmacist now with a conviction for trafficking cocaine. Now he works as a manger at a Dairy Queen."

Police arrested Cheung in 2007 after receiving a tip that he had drugs stored in his Winnipeg apartment, which they later searched with a warrant. The Crown normally seeks penitentiary sentences for cocaine trafficking, but agreed to a more lenient penalty because of Cheung’s otherwise positive background.

"I made a mistake and I’m sorry. I won’t be here again," he told provincial court Judge Judith Elliott. 

Elliott reminded Cheung of the hidden cost of drug dealing in the city. "Lots of the violent crime in Winnipeg is happening because of cocaine addictions," she said.

Cheung’s conditional sentence includes a daily curfew and mandatory drug treatment and counselling.

Trafficking ends pharmacy career before it begins 
Patrick Cheung was dispensing drugs even before he graduated pharmacy school. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old Winnipeg man's unusual attempt to get ahead in class has destroyed his future career plans.
Cheung pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of cocaine and ecstasy for the purpose of trafficking. He was given a two year less-a-day conditional sentence, to be served in the community, under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.
Cheung has no prior criminal record and is not a "typical" criminal, court was told. He had already completed three years of post-secondary education and was studying to become a licenced pharmacist. Defence lawyer Danny Gunn said his client was having trouble focusing on all the work and turned to drugs as a "study aid."
"He used cocaine to keep him up and awake. He was able to study so much more," said Gunn. But Cheung quickly developed an addiction, which came with a steep price. So he began selling the product in order to allow him to keep using it.
"It's a very unfortunate situation," said Gunn. "Obviously he can't become a pharmacist now with a conviction for trafficking cocaine. Now he works as a manager at a Dairy Queen."
Police arrested Cheung in 2007 after receiving a tip that he had drugs stored in his Winnipeg apartment, which they later searched with a warrant. The Crown normally seeks penitentiary sentences for cocaine trafficking, but agreed to a more lenient penalty because of Cheung's otherwise positive background.
"I made a mistake and I'm sorry. I won't be here again," he told provincial court Judge Judith Elliott. She reminded Cheung of the hidden cost of drug dealing in the city.
"Lots of the violent crime in Winnipeg is happening because of cocaine addictions," she said. Cheung's conditional sentence includes a daily curfew and mandatory drug treatment and counselling.

The Free Press headline is definitely spewing positive words! (*sarcasm*). Yes,  a criminal record severely limits employment opportunities, but one should not be discriminated against based on the criminal background. If I was discriminated against based on this, I would file a human rights complaint. 

I am pleased that this student did not receive a prison sentence, but a conditional discharge (where he would have no criminal record, but would be subject to conditions) would have more appropriate than a conditional sentence which carries with it, a criminal record. His career plans, which he has been working hard for, have been destroyed. He made a mistake of using cocaine which was fueled by stress from schoolwork. I have sympathy for this student and wish him the best in his future goals in life. I agree with the conditions of mandatory drug treatment and counseling though. 

Hells Angel man sentenced to additional jail time

Project Divide sting leads to additional jail time

A Winnipeg man is headed to prison after pleading guilty to his role in a major Hells Angels sting operation.

Ryan Cory Sawatzky admitted Tuesday to selling two ounces of poor quality cocaine to a long-time biker associate who was actually working undercover for the police.

Sawatzky, 28, was given 33 months behind bars, in addition to six months of time already spent in custody under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers. He was one of 31 people arrested last December as part of "Project Divide" and is the seventh to plead guilty.

Crown attorney Mark Lafreniere said Sawatzky was caught on camera delivering the drugs to the secret agent outside his home last November. Sawatzky had been a prospect with the Zig Zag Crew, which is the feeder crew to the Hells Angels, but had turned in his vest weeks earlier in an apparent bid at a fresh start in life.

He quickly got pulled back in when the agent, Michael Satsatin, came looking $150 in unpaid dues that he still owed, court was told. Sawatzky agreed to eliminate his debt by selling the cocaine, which had been severely diluted by cutting agents and was only seven per cent pure.

Defence lawyer Ian Garber told court his client is a cancer survivor who desperately wants to get out of jail to be a father to his five-year-old son. The boy is currently living with his mother.

Satsatin was the treasurer of the Zig Zag Crew when he agreed to become a secret agent and capture the inner workings of the criminal organization in exchange for $450,000 and witness protection. Investigators seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 ecstasy tablets, one ounce of heroin and seven pounds of marijuana during their 13-month investigation, along with cash, firearms and gang paraphernalia. More than 300 Mounties and police from Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne and B.C. were involved.

Cancer survivor heads to prison after police sting

A cancer survivor who tried to work his way out of debt by selling drugs for the Hells Angels is headed to prison.
Ryan Cory Sawatzky pleaded guilty Tuesday to trafficking two ounces of poor quality cocaine to a longtime biker associate who was actually working undercover for the police.

Sawatzky, 28, was given 33 months behind bars, in addition to six months of time already spent in custody under a joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.
He was one of 31 people arrested last December as part of Project Divide and is the seventh to plead guilty.
"I have nobody to thank but that (expletive) organization and my (expletive) stupidity," Sawatzky told police following his arrest.
Crown attorney Mark Lafreniere told court Sawatzky was caught on camera delivering the drugs to the secret agent outside his home last November. Sawatzky had been a prospect with the Zig Zag Crew, which is the feeder crew to the Hells Angels, but had turned in his vest weeks earlier in an apparent bid at a fresh start in life.
He quickly got pulled back in when the agent, Michael Satsatin, came looking for $150 in unpaid dues he still owed, court was told. Sawatzky agreed to eliminate his debt by selling the cocaine, which had been severely diluted by cutting agents and was only seven per cent pure.
Defence lawyer Ian Garber told court his client had already fought through two bouts of cancer and desperately wants to get out of jail to be a father to his five-year-old son.
The boy is currently living with his mother.
"To his credit, he had walked away from this group and set out on a better path," said Garber.
Satsatin was the treasurer of the Zig Zag Crew when he agreed to become a secret agent and capture the inner workings of the criminal organization in exchange for $450,000 and witness protection.
Investigators seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 ecstasy tablets, one ounce of heroin and seven pounds of marijuana during their 13-month investigation, along with cash, firearms and gang paraphernalia.
More than 300 Mounties and police from Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne and B.C. were involved.

I completely disagree with drug offenders being sentenced to prison. Prisons should be reserved for the most dangerous, high risk and violent offenders, not drug offenders, who could be better assisted outside of prison. This man is a father and had gone through a cancer struggle and doesn't deserve to be in prison for selling a small amount of cocaine. Prison is a negative environment which only exposes drug offenders to more pro criminal attitudes, values and behaviours as gangs and drugs are prevalent in Canadian prisons. Prison will not help this man in becoming a more productive citizen. He will likely only become further entrenched in the lifestyle. He is not dangerous to the public, therefore, he should not be in prison. If he has a drug addiction, he can best be helped through community sanctions, not prison, as prison programs are largely under-funded and the prison subculture counteracts with strategies and skills inmates may have learned in a prison program. 

I would have recommended a conditional sentence of 23 months combined with 3 years probation. He could have conditions imposed to live with his wife and son, attend substance abuse programs if he has those issues, community service work and employment assistance.  

Appeal denied for man caught with cocaine stash

Appeal denied for man's top coke bust

Manitoba's highest court has rejected the appeal of a British Columbia man who was caught with the largest cocaine stash in Manitoba's history.

James Oddleifson claimed he was wrongly convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking and should have been granted a new trial. In the event he lost that argument, Oddleifson claimed his 10-year prison sentence was excessive and should be reduced to as little as 61/2 years.

The Court of Appeal rejected both bids this week. They also denied a Crown appeal to have Oddleifson's sentence raised as high as 15 years, meaning both the original verdict and penalty will stand.

"The accused has not been able to demonstrate any error in his reasons that would warrant appellate intervention," Justice Richard Chartier wrote in the decision.

Oddleifson was arrested in July 2004 after a routine stop on the Trans-Canada Highway just west of Winnipeg. RCMP found 46 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a van, with a street value of about $3 million.

Co-accused Derek Laviolette, was acquitted of the same charge. Queen's Bench Justice Murray Sinclair ruled Laviolette raised "a reasonable doubt" in his mind by taking the stand and claiming he had no idea the drugs were in the vehicle.

Oddleifson tried to exclude all the evidence during his trial based on what he claimed was an illegal search and seizure. Sinclair refused. Oddleifson never took the stand to testify, which the appeal court said left no question about his guilt.

"I can readily conclude that the evidence before the trial judge in its totality, and absent any explanation from the accused, permitted him to infer beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused had knowledge of and control over the drugs that were hidden in that van," said Chartier.

Headingley RCMP said they stopped Oddleifson's vehicle, which was travelling east towards Winnipeg, after it made an abrupt lane change. Laviolette did not have a driver's licence, saying he had lost his wallet in Calgary.

An RCMP officer told court she had grounds to issue a ticket for failing to produce a licence. The men said they were headed to Toronto to pick up items for a friend at McGill University. The officer said she became suspicious because McGill is in Montreal. Other Mounties arrived and the two were split up to be quizzed. RCMP searched the vehicle and found 46 individually wrapped kilogram bricks of cocaine.

Oddleifson was granted bail pending his appeal last year but will now be taken into custody to serve his sentence.

I completely disagree with a 10 year sentence. That is overly punitive! I believe that only dangerous offenders should be in secure custody and this man, is not dangerous. I believe that drug offenders should receive much less prison time. The longer periods of imprisonment actually increase recidivism and often are the schools of crime in causing minor offenders to become more involved in drugs and gangs and more entrenched in the criminal lifestyle. What purpose will prison have on him? Only a negative one. Prison is a negative environment with negative influences which fails to encourage, foster or facilitate rehabilitation or reform. I would suggest a minimum security prison for much less time, such as 2 years or less. 

Hells Angels associate sentenced to 8 and a half years prison

Hells Angels associate sentenced to 8.5 years prison

A Hells Angels associate has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to a string of charges from his arrest in an undercover police sting operation.

Allen Morrison, 38, was one of 18 people targeted during Project Drill, in which a secret agent was paid $625,000 plus expenses to conduct a series of drug deals which were captured by police audio and video surveillance.

Morrison was caught in 2007 arranging four major cocaine deals in which he sent a lower-level "courier" to meet with the agent at various city locations, including Polo Park Shopping Centre, Shoppers Drug Mart, Burger King and A&W in which cash and drugs changed hands.

Morrison was a longtime biker associate, officially deemed a "Hangaround", who was slowly climbing the criminal ladder at the time of his arrest, court was told.

Morrison also pleaded guilty Tuesday to obstruction of justice for his actions at a December 2007 sentencing hearing on drug offences from 2003. At the time, Morrison and his lawyer told court he had walked away from his gang affiliations, moved out of Winnipeg with his wife and children and was looking forward to living a life on the straight and narrow.

In fact, Morrison had just spent the past few months practically begging to be made a full-patch Hells member and deliberately misled the court in an attempt to get a more lenient sentence, court was told.

Morrison apologized for his actions Tuesday and spoke of a "new way of thinking" which including living crime-free once he is released from prison. A cynical Queen’s Bench Justice Brenda Keyser wasn’t buying it.

"I have great difficulty believing there’s any truth to that," she said. "It’s not the first time he has tried to con the court."

Morrison was given single-time credit for 28 months of pre-trial custody, meaning he has six years and two months left to serve. He was also ordered to pay back $50,000 he received in exchange for the drugs he supplied to the agent and will have to spent another year behind bars if he can’t come up with the cash.

Biker pleads guilty
Has longtime biker associate and drug dealer Allen Morrison changed his ways?
A judge who sentenced him to 8.5 years in prison doesn't think so.
Morrison pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine and obstruction of justice. The last charge is in connection to Morrison's attempt to mislead the court into believing he was turning his back on a life of crime.
"I have grave doubts Mr. Morrison seriously wants to move in a positive direction," said Justice Brenda Keyser. "It's not the first time he has tried to con the court."
Morrison, 38, was one of 18 people arrested in December 2007 as part of a undercover police investigation targeting the Hells Angels and its associates.

Biker, drug dealer jailed 8.5 years
Has longtime biker associate and drug dealer Allen Morrison changed his ways?
A judge who sentenced him to 81/2 years in prison doesn’t think so.
Morrison pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine and obstruction of justice. The last charge is in connection to Morrison’s attempt to mislead the court into believing he was turning his back on a life of crime.
“I have grave doubts Mr. Morrison seriously wants to move in a positive direction,” said Justice Brenda Keyser. “It’s not the first time he has tried to con the court.”
Morrison, 38, was one of 18 people arrested in December 2007 as part of Project Drill, a undercover police investigation targeting the Hells Angels and its associates.
Morrison was already in custody at the time of his arrest. That same month he was sentenced to one year in jail after being convicted at trial of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. At that sentencing hearing, Morrison told the court he had severed his ties with his criminal associates and had moved to the country with his girlfriend and young child.
What the court didn’t know was that Morrison was still dealing drugs with an eye to becoming a Hells Angels “prospect.” “There is no question Mr. Morrison lied to the court in order to receive a more lenient sentence,” Crown attorney Pat Flynn said Tuesday. “Were it not for Project Drill we would never have known about it.”
As in similar investigations before and since, Operation Drill relied on the use of a paid agent — in this case, career criminal and biker associate Scott “Taz” Robertson — to ensnare the criminal targets. Morrison negotiated four drug deals with Robertson worth $50,000. The money has not been recovered.
Morrison was sentenced to eight years on the drug charges and an additional six months for obstruction of justice. He received 28 months credit for time served but will serve another year in custody if he does not repay the $50,000.
Morrison claimed he was ashamed of his actions and again promised that his days as a criminal are in the past.
“I don’t ever want to create victims in my life again,” he told Keyser.
Keyser didn’t believe him.
“I think his prospects for rehabilitation, quite frankly, are slim.”

Drug trafficking nets man 8 year term
ALLEN Morrison had two major goals in life -- to join the ranks of the Hells Angels and to bring the purest cocaine to the streets of Winnipeg.
An undercover police sting operation made sure Morrison came up short on both fronts.
Morrison, 38, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to a string of trafficking charges from his December 2007 arrest. Morrison was one of 18 people targeted during "Project Drill", in which a secret agent was paid $625,000 plus expenses to conduct a series of drug deals which were captured by police audio and video surveillance.
Morrison was caught arranging four major cocaine deals in which he sent a lower-level "courier" to meet with the agent at various city locations, including the Polo Park Shopping Centre, Shoppers Drug Mart, Burger King and A&W in which cash and drugs changed hands.
Police also intercepted a phone call in which Morrison pledged to bring better quality cocaine to the city. The agent was complaining about the diluted product he'd been receiving.
"I want it to be very pure to get everyone hooked on crack again," said Morrison.
Morrison was a longtime biker associate, officially deemed a "Hangaround", who was slowly climbing the criminal ladder at the time of his arrest, court was told.
Morrison also pleaded guilty Tuesday to obstruction of justice for his actions at a December 2007 sentencing hearing on drug offences from 2003. At the time, Morrison and his lawyer told court he had walked away from his gang affiliations, moved out of Winnipeg with his wife and children and was looking forward to living a life on the straight and narrow.
In fact, Morrison had just spent the past few months practically begging to be made a full-patch Hells member and deliberately misled the court in an attempt to get a more lenient sentence.
"He made representations through his council he knew to be false," Crown attorney Pat Flynn told court.
Morrison apologized for his actions Tuesday and spoke of a "new way of thinking" which including living crime-free once he is released from prison. A cynical Queen's Bench Justice Brenda Keyser wasn't buying it.
"I have great difficulty believing there's any truth to that," she said. "It's not the first time he has tried to con the court."

I definitely agree that this man is manipulative and has lied to the court about his actions and behaviour. He participated in cocaine deals (which by the way, are not THAT serious of a crime) and pleaded guilty to it. 

I would like to know whether there were any mitigating factors in this case or the background history of this man and his lawyer's arguments. 

I feel that 6 years is too harsh of a sentence. Research has proven that longer sentences are no more effective in reducing and deterring crime, than shorter sentences. 

I feel that prison should only be meant for the most dangerous, high risk and violent offenders. From this article, I would not classify this man as any of those. Drugs are not that violent of an offence, as there are no victims. He did not harm anybody. If he has drug addiction problems and gang problems, I would suggest a gang desistance program, family counseling, counseling to uncover the root causes of his criminal behaviour, healthy living skills and addictions treatment. 

I don't know if a lengthy prison sentence is necessary for this man. I would suggest possibly a year in prison because it was a drug offence and to express denunciation combined with counseling and drug treatment.  

Man admits to participating in robbery, dressed in a skeleton costume

Man admits to staged robbery in skeleton costume

A Winnipeg man has admitted to participating in a "staged" armed robbery inside a Lockport fast-food restaurant while wearing a skeleton mask and matching costume.

Drew Kowal, 23, was given three months in jail Monday in addition to six months of time already served. He was also put on supervised probation for three years.

Kowal and a co-accused stormed inside the A and W location just north of Winnipeg in October 2006 and stole several thousand dollars, court was told. Kowal later told police that a large group of friends – including two women who were working at the time of the heist – had planned the incident out ahead of time.

However, police only ended up charging Kowal and his primary partner-in-crime - who pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to a year in jail. The two employees claim they were truly victimized and didn’t know about any robbery plan.

Kowal was released on bail but got re-arrested last October after selling an undercover police officer three rocks of crack cocaine in exchange for $60. Police say he was working as a street-level "dial-a-dealer" in the inner-city.

Defence lawyer Les Kee told court Monday his client resorted to dealing drugs to help support himself financially after losing his job following his robbery arrest.

"He didn’t even have any food for himself – or his cat," said Kee.

Man jailed for role in 'staged' heist
When is a robbery a theft? When the robbery is faked, a court heard Monday.
Drew Kowal previously pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $5,000 for his part in the “staged robbery” of a Lockport A & W restaurant.
Court heard Kowal, 23, was one of four men who carried out the fake robbery with the help of two female employees on Oct. 23, 2006.
Kowal was on bail for that offence when, on Oct. 25, 2009, police arrested him in the course of a cocaine “dial-a-dealer” investigation.
Kowal pleaded guilty Monday to trafficking in cocaine, possession for the purpose of trafficking and breaching a recognizance.
Justice Chris Martin sentenced Kowal to one year in jail, minus nine months for time served, to be followed by three years supervised probation. Martin also ordered Kowal to complete 75 hours of community service work.

I am confused as to what this man was sentenced for.. was this sentence for the robbery or for the drug dealing? I would also like to know more about this man's background life and if he has previous convictions, etc. From this article, there is no indication that this man has a violent, previous criminal history or that he is a high risk to re-offend. He has already served 7 months and I believe only the worst, most dangerous and high risk offenders should be held in prisons. This man, is not one of them, in my opinion. 

Either way, I am left wondering what effect a 3 month prison sentence will have on this man. Is there a reason he is being sentenced to prison at all? Because we all should know that deterrence is not effective and that prison in general, is not effective. This will only cause further overcrowding and if community sanctions have been proven to be more effective in reducing and preventing crime, then we should be relying less on prison sentences and adhering more to the least restrictive method.  Short stints in prison have generally been shown to be ineffective. Plus, this man has already served 6 months in remand custody. I think that is enough prison time.

It is definitely a mitigating factor that he sold drugs to support himself financially. He did not have criminal intentions in mind. 

I agree with the portion of the sentence allocated to probation. Personally, I would have sentenced this man to a 2 year conditional sentence. I would order him to participate in victim-offender mediation so he could truly understand the consequences of his actions, employment training and assistance so he doesn't have to resort to criminal methods in order to support himself. I think that 6 months of remand, is long enough.

Mitigating Factors	Aggravating Factors
Pleaded guilty	Armed robbery
Sold drugs to support himself financially after losing job following robbery arrest	Possession of cocaine (separate incident) sold to undercover policeman
Already served 6 months in remand custody

   

Man's drug addictions lead him down a criminal path

Drug problems downfall for man

Lloyd Jansen thought he could dig himself out of a massive drug debt by selling cocaine for the Hells Angels.

But the 26-year-old Winnipeg man only added to his growing list of problems when he got caught up in an undercover police sting operation.

Jansen pleaded guilty Tuesday to his role in "Project Divide", which saw 31 people arrested last December after police used a secret agent to capture dozens of drug deals on video and audio surveillance. He was sentenced to three years in prison, in addition to time served, under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.

Jansen was caught on camera last July delivering 10 ounces of cocaine to the agent, Michael Satsatin, in the parking lot of the Safeway store on Henderson Highway in North Kildonan.

Defence lawyer Darren Sawchuk said his client fell on hard times when he became hooked on crack cocaine and ran up more than $50,000 debt to several local dealers who had ties to the notorious outlaw motorcycle gang.

Jansen quit his job as a diesel mechanic and became a street-level dealer. Crown attorney Chris Mainella said he was "trying to work his way up" the criminal ladder.

Court documents obtained last week revealed how many of Winnipeg's most popular suburban restaurants, stores, shopping malls and entertainment outlets were used as the backdrop for the Hells Angels to conduct their transactions.

Investigators seized 165 ounces of cocaine, 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 12,000 ecstasy tablets, one ounce of heroin and seven pounds of marijuana during their investigation, along with cash, firearms and gang paraphernalia. More than 300 Mounties and police from Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne and B.C. were involved. Satsatin was paid $450,000 plus expenses and put in the witness protection plan.

Blair Alford, 55, was sentenced April 1 to 40 months behind bars after admitting to selling 12 ounces of cocaine to Satsatin in the parking lot of a Rona store on Kenaston Boulevard. The other 29 accused remain before the courts.

I would like to have known more of this man's background life such as how long he's been addicted and if he has attempted to go through any programs. 

I think this is a case where a drug treatment court might be successful. This man plead guilty and in order to be eligible for a drug treatment court, the individual must take responsibility for their actions. This man has done that. I definitely don't agree with the 3 year sentence as I feel that we need to consider alternatives to imprisonment in more cases. This man could participate in a drug treatment program and regular drug testing. If he completed it successfully, he would likely to given probation. If he failed to abide by the conditions , he would be processed through the regular courts and possibly given incarceration then. 

I think he needs help for his drug problem and it he agreed to a program, I think this could be a successful alternative. I also think that he needs employment assistance. 

Drug offenders, in my opinion, should not be in prison. They are the individuals that can best be helped through rehabilitation. Drug offenders pose a very small threat to the safety of society and I feel that prison should only be reserved for violent murderers and psychopaths, for people who actually do harm to another person. 

Most criminals who serve extended periods of incarceration, become institutionalized and are incapable of proper decision making and of reintegration. This is NOT in society's best interests. These people are often then released back into the same social and economic conditions which contributed to their criminal behaviour initially. We need to help offenders uncover the root causes of their behaviour and the factors contributing to crime and then address those, if our goal is really to prevent and reduce crime. Prison has been proven to NOT reduce or deter crime. So why are we still using it for small time offenders??  

Drug dealer faced up to 12 years in prison

Drug dealer faces up to 12 years in prison
'One-stop shop' drug op brings man's conviction
Drug dealer faces lengthy sentence; tells court it's time to change

- Crown is seeking 12 years.
- Christian Basarowich was convicted of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and other firearms offences.
- Crown said, he "showed a willingness to protect his product, there was no other reason to have these guns."
- His lawyer said he is a smart, young and independent contractor who could have a bright future as a legitimate businessman.
- Said he still has time to turn his troubled life around, he has strong support from his family and would like to return to university to complete a business management degree.
- When he had been convicted of his first drug offence in 2007, he had only completed one year of university.
- Basarowich said, "The life I led before my arrest wasn't much of a life at all. It was selfish and reckless."
- He said he had started partying when he was in his first year of university and his troubles just continued from there on.
- He also said, "After entering the drug world, I saw my life fall apart, now it's time for me to be a man, to grow up.. It's time to change."
- He had been in custody for 29 months already since his arrest.
- The defence was seeking a 5 year sentence.

Yes, I agree that this man is an experienced drug dealer and violated his conditional sentence by committing another serious drug offence, but I agree with the defence that 12 years is just too harsh for this man. Being in a federal prison for a lengthy period, will further immerse this man into pro-criminal attitudes, values and behaviours where he may to learn to be a "better criminal" . I think he can be rehabilitated and seems willing to change his life and attend university. I think a sentence between 5 and 7 years would be appropriate and he should also be required to take substance abuse programs in prison.  

Drug Dealer receives 9 year prison sentence

Drug Dealer receives 9 year prison sentence

Drug dealer gets 9 year sentence 

Drug dealer gets 9 years in jail 

Drug dealer sentenced to 9 years in prison 

- Christian Basarowich was sentenced to 9 years in prison on Thursday, Feb.18th

- He was convicted at a trial of Possession of Drugs for the Purpose of Trafficking and other firearms offences. 

- He was arrested in September 2007

- $100,000 worth of cocaine, marijuana, ecstacy, ketamine and meth were found at his residence. 

- He also possessed $5100 in cash and three handguns with ammunition. 

- At the time of his arrest, he had only served one month of a two year conditional sentence that he had received from a previous drug conviction in August 2007.

- Judge said, "a lenghier sentence would have a crushing effect on him and may impede his focus on rehabilitating his life." 

- I would argue, that 9 years is a lengthy sentence!! You are impeding his focus of rehabilitation by sentencing him for that long!

- Christian said he is "ready to turn his back on the drug world and grow up." 

I was predicting earlier that this man would be sentenced anywhere from 5-7 years in prison but I think 9 years is too harsh. This man wants to turn his life around and by sending him to prison, is not giving him that opportunity. He will be eligible for full parole after serving 3 years and I sure hope he gets in or at the worst, statutory release after serving 6 years.