BRIERE GETS FOUR YEARS IN JAIL

Donald Briere milled about and casually sipped coffee in the smoking area
outside Surrey provincial court Wednesday morning in a manner that
suggested he didn't fully appreciate the gravity of his situation.

Within 10 minutes, he would be handcuffed in front of his crying wife and
marched off to federal prison to serve a four-year term for drugs and
weapons offences.

"I guess this is the big day," he told The Now outside court. He said he'd
never been inside a jail in all of his 50 years, and wasn't sure where he'd
be sent.

"I would assume minimum security," he offered. Asked if he was nervous, he
replied, "No, not really."

Asked how he explained to his children, ages 5, 7 and 10, that he would be
going to prison for four years, Briere said "they know all about it, but
they're not very happy about it. All they know is their dad is going away.
I'm going to jail for what I believe."

Briere was the Marijuana Party candidate for Surrey-Tynehead in the last
provincial election and received 370 votes.

Arrested in a major drug bust in March 1999, Briere pleaded guilty to
growing and possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, unlawful
storage of ammo and possessing a prohibited weapon. Police seized 52 boxes
of .22 calibre longs, two shotguns, a 9 mm handgun and 9 mm machine gun
from him following a raid on his warehouse.

In passing sentence, Judge Gurmail Gill noted that Briere directed a huge
pot growing operation which netted him $2 million in illegitimate proceeds.
When his warehouse was raided, police seized $625,000 in pot, up to $50,000
in growing equipment and 52 cartons of .22-calibre ammo.

"It will suffice to say Mr. Briere was a very busy man," Gill said, noting
the Surrey resident had been so proud of his organizational skills in the
illegal marijuana industry he "even bragged about them."

Though until now Briere had no criminal record, Gill added, "it would
appear he has been in this business for some time."

The court heard that Briere has a Grade 9 education and was at one time a
bar manager and construction worker. His son Shane died of a heroin
overdose at age 19 and he himself has had two heart attacks since his
arrest in 1999.

The federal government has chased him for his proceeds of crime and will
likely seize his family home as well.

Outside court, Briere's lawyer Bruce Ralston had little comment.

"I think the judge said it all," he said.

John Allen West, who said he's a Reverend Brother of the Church of the
Universe, journeyed from Hornby Island to witness the sentencing hearing.

"This is a travesty," said West, whose church considers pot a sacrament.

"Out of all proportion," he said of the four-year sentence. "This is just
continued harrassment."

Michael Hansen, the Marijuana Party MLA candidate for Delta South in the
last provincial election, also attended.

"I'm very much outraged," he said. "Justice has not been served."