A 23-year-old Yorkton man is going to jail for 18 months on a cocaine trafficking charge.
Mark Marchand pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking on September 21 and was sentenced yesterday in Yorkton Provincial Court.
Marchand was arrested by chance June 21 when RCMP officers came across his parked car on the North Airport Road while investigating a complaint of a domestic dispute between a couple.
When the member approached the driver’s side of the car, he noted a bag in plain sight on the passenger seat with what appeared to be cocaine in it. A subsequent search revealed five smaller baggies of the drug, a scale, a grinder, some cell phones, cash, a knife and a small amount of marijuana.
Marchand admitted that he had stolen the drugs and was selling it for $80 per gram. He confessed to selling three grams and was charged with three counts of trafficking a Schedule 1 substance, one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking, one count of possession of the proceeds of crime and a weapons related to the knife.
At his sentencing hearing October 6, the federal Crown, represented by Shane Wagner, stayed all charges except the one trafficking charge Marchand had previously pleaded guilty to. In a joint submission with the defence, Wagner asked for 18 months incarceration and forfeiture of the goods seized. Although mandatory minimum sentence legislation did not come into play, Wagner cited Court of Appeal guidelines saying the recommended sentence was well within the range for a first offence.
The defence, represented by Richard Yaholnitsky said his client was remorseful, but agreed the sentence was fair and asked for the victim surcharge to be defaulted.
The judge accepted the joint submission and imposed the mandatory 10-year firearms prohibition and DNA order.
