CB
06-19-2006, 08:00 AM
Canadian smugglers warned of stiff U.S. penalties
The Hamilton Spectator
SEATTLE (Jun 19, 2006)
A U.S. federal judge, who sentenced five First Nations members from British Columbia for marijuana-smuggling, advised them to spread the word back home about harsh penalties on American soil.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez sentenced the five to six months in prison and two years of probation for their roles in the smuggling scheme.
They were arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border crossing at Sumas on Oct. 30, 2005, riding in vans that each carried about 80 pounds of marijuana.
Martinez rejected a defence request for a sentence of probation, saying he wanted to send a message to others who might be tempted to serve as "mules" for drug smugglers.
"I want every other First Nation member in Canada, and I want every other Canadian, to understand that the sentencing laws of the United States are very, very harsh. Tell your young people how they can get themselves caught so easily in something they have no idea what the consequences will be."
The Hamilton Spectator
SEATTLE (Jun 19, 2006)
A U.S. federal judge, who sentenced five First Nations members from British Columbia for marijuana-smuggling, advised them to spread the word back home about harsh penalties on American soil.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez sentenced the five to six months in prison and two years of probation for their roles in the smuggling scheme.
They were arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border crossing at Sumas on Oct. 30, 2005, riding in vans that each carried about 80 pounds of marijuana.
Martinez rejected a defence request for a sentence of probation, saying he wanted to send a message to others who might be tempted to serve as "mules" for drug smugglers.
"I want every other First Nation member in Canada, and I want every other Canadian, to understand that the sentencing laws of the United States are very, very harsh. Tell your young people how they can get themselves caught so easily in something they have no idea what the consequences will be."