Two Yorkton men have pleaded guilty to marijuana trafficking charges and have received sentences in provincial court.
Michael Winter and Robert Friesen had been scheduled for a trial to start January 19, but instead cut plea deals with the federal Crown.
Winter, who has been in and out of jail over the past year for various breaches of release conditions, received six months time-served and six months probation.
Friesen, who was released from custody January 21, 2015 on $5,000 bail received a 14 month conditional sentence and nine months probation. For the first six months of the conditional sentence Friesen must observe an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and several other conditions including a no drugs or alcohol clause and assessment and possibly treatment for addictions.
Friensen’s charges were related to a January 16, 2015 bust in which Yorkton RCMP RCMP members intercepted a delivery destined for his local business, The Rollin’ Zone. The officers seized 14 pounds of marijuana, 36 grams of cannabis resin and more than $6,000 in cash.
Winter was also charged in that raid while already released on previous trafficking charges from September 2014. A separate trial on those charges had been scheduled to begin January 6, but was delayed while defence attorney Sharon Fox of Regina made arguments at Court of Queen’s Bench to have Winter’s seized funds released.
Last week, the Court finally released the funds paving the way for plea negotiations.
