14-year Sentence (importing and trafficking cocaine) Upheld


Sentence Appeal    Drugs      Appellant convicted of importing and possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, sentenced to a penitentiary term of 14 years.

Court of Appeal for Ontario held that although the sentence was at the high end of the range for similar offences, it is not demonstrably unfit.

In cases of importing large quantities of cocaine, denunciation of the conduct and deterrence of would-be offenders are paramount.  175 kilograms of cocaine on board the Appellant’s truck when stopped at the Canadian border. The amount of cocaine involved placed this at the higher level of seriousness for importation cases and warranted a very significant sentence. Mitigating factors on sentence included that at the time of the offence, the appellant was only 23 years old, that he was a first-time offender, and that he had a positive pre-sentence report.

                                                                                         R. v. Janjanin, 2016 ONCA 820 (CanLII)

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