JAIL TERM A WARNING FOR OTHERS: JUDGE

A federal judge in Seattle who sentenced five British Columbia First
Nations members for marijuana smuggling advised them to spread the
word back home about harsh U.S. penalties.

United States District Judge Ricardo Martinez sentenced the five
First Nations members Friday to six months in prison and two years of
probation. They were arrested at the U.S.-Canada border riding in
vans that each carried about 35 kilograms of marijuana.

Judge Martinez rejected a defence request for a sentence of
probation, saying he wanted to send a message to others who might be
tempted to serve as "mules" for drug smugglers.

"I want every other First Nation member in Canada, and I want every
other Canadian, to understand that the sentencing laws of the United
States are very, very harsh," he said. "Tell your young people how
they can get themselves caught so easily in something they have no
idea what the consequences will be."