GRANNY JAILED FOR SELLING PILLS

A grandmother busted in a three-province drug ring was jailed for two
years yesterday for peddling a prescription drug combo dubbed "poor
man's heroin."

The pills, sold under the street name "pink and yellow" pack a potent
short-term high comparable to heroin when taken together.

Clinically, Talwin and Ritalin are used to fight pain and
hyperactivity, usually in children.

But for three years, Marina Chalifoux and her husband flogged the
low-cost drugs on the streets of B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan as
part of a sophisticated commercial operation.

The 54-year-old Faust woman was also fined a total of $20,000 after
pleading guilty to trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime and
social services fraud.

The pills, worth roughly 60 cents each, sell on the street for between
$6 and $20.

RCMP investigators attribute their rampant rise in the drug trade to a
lax detection system that allows patients to obtain the same
prescriptions from several doctors.

The practice is referred to as double-doctoring.

Provincial court Judge Edward Saddy reproached Chalifoux, described as
a well-respected member of her community, for the manipulation she
used to obtain the drugs.

"Nothwithstanding your stellar reputation among your friends and
neighbours, you have taught your children, grandchildren and others
how to act in the presence of doctors to ensure they'd qualify for
prescriptions drugs," said Saddy.

RCMP began their investigation in 1994 after learning that large
amounts of the pills were being directed to Faust.

And members of the community also became suspicious of Chalifoux when
she acquired two new vehicles.

A Lincoln Continental and a newer-model Ford pickup truck were seized
by RCMP at the time of her arrest on Oct. 8, 1996.

Police also seized 1,810 Ritalin tablets and 610 Talwin
pills.

It's estimated Chalifoux netted $20,000 from the drug sales over the
years, court was told.

Her lawyer, Felicity Hunter, said Chalifoux's existence was not an
extravagant one despite perceptions.

"It's not a situation where she's driving a Porsche and going down to
Vegas gambling," said Hunter, noting that the cars were both leased.

She said Chalifoux made a modest profit off the drug scam, introduced
to her by her in-laws.

Hunter said her client has already atoned for her crimes in a sense by
suffering loss of face and respect in her tight-knit northern community.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry