SWIFT JUSTICE FOR MAN NABBED WITH 10 KG OF POT

A B.C. man decided he didn't want to wait around long and agreed to a
three-year sentence for drug trafficking just 24 hours after being arrested.

Martin Joseph Brazeau of Meadow Creek, B.C., was stopped Tuesday by
Moose Jaw RCMP for a potential traffic violation around 11 a.m. The
34-year-old was driving a Subaru car eastbound on the Trans-Canada highway.

"The accused was observed travelling east and rapidly slowing down,"
said federal prosecutor Suzanne Young when Brazeau appeared in Moose
Jaw Provincial court Wednesday.

"The officer observed movement in the back seat of the car, which he
believed to be an unrestrained passenger."

Brazeau's car was stopped and what the officer believed was an
unbuckled passenger turned out to be a large dog.

As he spoke with Brazeau, the officer smelled a strong odour of raw
marijuana, Young explained. Brazeau admitted to having the pot in the car.

Police then discovered more than 10 kilograms of marijuana packed in
duffle bags in the trunk of the car and Brazeau was charged with
possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

The police also seized $1,100 from the car and the Moose Jaw Humane
Society was called to take the dog away.

Brazeau was still in police custody when he appeared in provincial
court Wednesday morning. He did not have a lawyer, saying he couldn't
afford the $2,500 it would cost him for the lawyer he consulted. He
also said he couldn't afford the $20,000 needed for a bail deposit.

He then told the judge he wanted to plead guilty.

"I don't want to put my family to the street, so I just want to do my
time," he said.

When asked by Judge Douglas Kovatch if he was certain he didn't want
a lawyer, Brazeau replied, "I have a family back home and I know I
done the crime, so I want it done. I hope it will make things better
in the future."

Young explained that she and Brazeau had reached a consensus on a
sentence for the crime.

"We agreed that given the circumstances of the offence and his
criminal record alone, a period of three years incarceration is
appropriate," Young said.

Kovatch asked Brazeau if he agreed that three years would be a proper sentence.

"I thought it was decent. It was OK," he said.

Kovatch agreed that a three-year prison term would fall within the
proper range of punishment for the offence and Brazeau received his sentence.