GUARD JAILED FOR SMUGGLING

A former prison guard with a gambling addiction who smuggled drugs to
inmates at the Halifax Correctional Centre will spend up to three years on
the other side of the bars.

Judge John Embree said the offence was "a heinous breach of trust" and
deterrence was paramount in such cases.

Anthony E. DesLauriers, 40, told Bedford provincial court yesterday he
started bringing crack cocaine, pills, and marijuana into the jail after an
inmate threatened his family, and he continued to finance his gambling.

DesLauriers was arrested Christmas Eve 1998 after a staff and RCMP sting
operation found out he intended to bring in a large shipment. When he
arrived for his 11 p.m. shift, police searched his kitbag.

Officers found 3.34 grams of crack cocaine, 26 pills of dilaudid (an
addictive painkiller), 97.16 grams of hashish, 42 pills of Ritalin (a drug
used to treat attention deficit disorder that acts as a stimulant), 290
pills of Valium, and 6.4 grams of marijuana.

Don Presse said his client turned to selling drugs because he felt
threatened, stressed out, had a lack of training, and was addicted to video
lottery machines. He said DesLauriers isn't a threat to society and
recommended he be sentenced to two years' house arrest.

DesLauriers testified he first brought drugs to the jail because he was
"very scared for his family's safety."

Crown attorney Ray Mitchell said he didn't buy DesLauriers's explanation
and doubted he is a gambling addict or was ever threatened, noting there is
no evidence of either claim. He said DesLauriers sought treatment for
addiction because he knew he was going to be sentenced.

"He worked in the criminal justice system and has a fairly sophisticated
knowledge of how it works," he said.