The offender pleaded guilty to importing 2.67 kg of cocaine.
Prior to sentencing, she developed an aggressive form of optic neuritis, leaving her nearly blind and requiring immediate, specialized hospital treatment during unpredictable relapses to prevent total vision loss.
The court found that provincial and federal correctional facilities could not guarantee the timely emergency medical intervention she required, creating a real risk of complete blindness if incarcerated.
Finding that a penitentiary sentence would be disproportionately harsh due to this medical hardship, the court departed from the usual 6-to-8-year range and imposed a conditional sentence of two years less one day.
