TOP COKE BUST IN PROVINCE NETS 10 YEARS

A B.C. man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being caught
with the richest cocaine stash in Manitoba history.

Although James Oddleifson left court in handcuffs Wednesday, he's not
done fighting. Defence lawyer Sheldon Pinx filed an appeal of his
client's conviction of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Pinx told the Free Press they will return to court today, seeking to
have Oddleifson freed on bail pending a hearing before the Manitoba
Court of Appeal.

Oddleifson was arrested in July 2004 after a routine traffic stop on
the Trans-Canada Highway just west of Winnipeg proved to be anything
but. Police found 46 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a van. The
drugs carried a street value of about $3 million.

Co-accused Derek Laviolette was acquitted of the same charge.

Queen's Bench Justice Murray Sinclair ruled that Laviolette had
raised "a reasonable doubt" when he testified he had no idea the
drugs were inside the vehicle. Oddleifson didn't testify -- a move
that seemingly sealed his fate.

Oddleifson tried to exclude all the evidence during his trial last
year based on what he claimed was an illegal search and seizure.
Sinclair refused. This issue will be the focal point of the appeal.

Headingley RCMP say they stopped Oddleifson's vehicle, which was
travelling east towards Winnipeg, after it made an abrupt lane
change. Laviolette did not have a driver's licence, claiming he had
lost his wallet in Calgary. The officer told court she had grounds to
issue a ticket for failing to produce a licence.

The men said they were headed to Toronto to pick up items for a
friend at McGill University. The officer said she became suspicious
because McGill is in Montreal. Other Mounties arrived and the two men
were split up to be quizzed. RCMP eventually felt there was
sufficient grounds to search the vehicle. Police found 46
individually wrapped kilogram bricks of cocaine.

The Crown sought between 12 and 15 years in prison for Oddleifson,
who had been free on bail and had no pre-trial credit to reduce his sentence.