A. Aujla

The offender was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to export cocaine.

The conspiracy involved an agreement to use a courier to export nearly 9 kilograms of cocaine to the UK, but the offender abandoned the plan within a week of its inception.

The court considered the short duration of the conspiracy and the offender's positive rehabilitation efforts as mitigating factors, but noted the serious nature of the offence and the large quantity of drugs involved.

The offender was sentenced to 5.5 years imprisonment, with credit for pre-trial custody and house arrest.

The accused was convicted by a jury of importing 4.1 kilograms of cocaine into Canada.

The Crown sought a sentence of 7 to 8 years’ imprisonment while the defence sought 6 years, both acknowledging a general range of 6 to 8 years for drug couriers importing multi‑kilogram quantities absent exceptional circumstances.

The court considered mitigating factors including the accused’s lack of criminal record, young age, parental responsibilities, educational progress, employment history, and prospects for rehabilitation.

However, the court emphasized the serious societal harm caused by cocaine trafficking and held that the mitigating circumstances did not justify a downward departure from the established range.

A custodial sentence within the range was imposed along with ancillary orders.