A B.C. man has been jailed 15 months after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine and methamphetamine for the purposes of trafficking.
In a newly released Feb. 7 decision, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Liliane Bantourakis said Langley RCMP began investigating Shane Timothy Marchant, 43, for drug trafficking in September 2020.
At the time, he was subject to an 18‑month conditional sentence order with house arrest conditions, and an exception to leave for work at a welding company between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
During seven days of surveillance of Marchant's residence, police observed 25 short‑duration meetings consistent with drug trafficking. The judge said one of the people who had attended the residence was found to be in possession of .31 grams of a cocaine and methamphetamine mixture shortly after leaving.
When police executed a search warrant in October 2020, Marchant was found in possession of $40 cash and .82 grams of cocaine and methamphetamine in a small baggie. A combined 117 grams of cocaine and methamphetamine were found in the home.
The judge said 18 grams of MDMA and 229 grams of cannabis, as well as evidence of trafficking, including multiple cellphones, digital scales, a money counter, packaging material and a scoresheet were also found.
“An expert gave an opinion that the total value of the drugs located in the residence was approximately $11,000 if sold at the gram level,” Bantourakis said.
Sitting in New Westminster, the judge called drug trafficking a scourge in communities.
“In addition to the tragedy visited upon addicts themselves, the related harms are far‑reaching, including increases in other forms of crime associated with the drug trade, or trickle‑down effects from, for example, addicts' resort to crime to fund their own addictions,” she said.
The judge said Marchant read a prepared statement at sentencing.
“In it, he expressed regret for his actions and recognized the tragic effects drug trafficking has on addicts and their families,” she said. “He apologized for what he referred to as the devastation he has caused, and said he is determined to become a positive and hardworking person.”
But Bantourakis added “it is highly aggravating, in my view, that Mr. Marchant committed the offence he has pleaded guilty to while serving a conditional sentence in the community.”
The Crown sought 15 months’ jail while the defence asked for an 18‑month conditional sentence followed by 12 or 18 months’ probation.
