A 30-year-old Yorkton woman will spend one-year behind bars for her role in a cocaine trafficking operation.
Michelle Hamelin pleaded guilty in Yorkton Provincial Court September 2 to one count of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking. The Crown stayed three other charges including trafficking.
On June 18, Hamelin and co-accused Tyson Blahey, 34, were pulled over by RCMP near Theodore. A subsequent search of a Yorkton residence turned up 48 grams of cocaine.
Blahey pleaded guilty in July and received two years in prison based on previous convictions trafficking convictions. He was on probation at the time of his arrest.
Although there is no mandatory minimum sentence for cocaine trafficking and Hamelin had no criminal record, newly-appointed federal prosecutor Rhiannon Rees explained the courts are pretty strict when it comes to cocaine. In general, sentences range from 14 months to four years for a first offence according to Court of Appeal judgements.
“We have a case of a person transporting a goodly amount of cocaine and was being paid for her services in drugs, so combine that with case law and you’re looking at incarceration regardless,” Rees said.
Nevertheless, the Crown and defence worked out a plea deal of only 12 months based on Hamelin’s lack of record, her early guilty plea and her personal circumstances being a young single mother.
Mark Persick, counsel for the defence, said it is a difficult situation, but agreed the Court of Appeal is very clear on cocaine trafficking.
“The Crown is generally being quite fair with a 12 month sentence, but it’s sad to see,” he said.
Shane Wagner, who helped hammer out the deal for the Crown called it a “cautionary tale” saying people often don’t realize just how serious what they are getting into is.
In addition to one year in jail, Hamelin will be on probation for one year following her release.
