MARIJUANA CAFE OWNER CONVICTED ON TRAFFICKING

VANCOUVER - The woman who owned a marijuana cafe closed in a highly
publicized police raid two years ago faces up to 10 years in prison
after being convicted in a separate drug-trafficking case.

The Crown likely won't ask the B.C. Supreme Court judge to impose the
maximum sentence on Carol Gwilt, her lawyer Jason Gratl said Wednesday.

But Gratl would not say what sentence he will recommend when the case
goes back to court July 6. However, he noted Gwilt had no previous
criminal record.

A spokeswoman for the federal Justice Department, which handles all
drug-trafficking prosecutions, said officials will not discuss their
sentence recommendation before submitting it to the court.

A jury convicted Gwilt on Tuesday of possession of marijuana for the
purpose of trafficking and of possession of the proceeds of crime.

Her co-accused, Michael Boudreau, was acquitted on a single trafficking count.

Gwilt and Boudreau were arrested Sept. 16, 2004, when police stopped
a car she was driving and found a quantity of pot and $11,000 in cash.

The arrest took place while Gwilt was out on bail a week after police
raided her Da Kine Smoke and Beverage Shop, a controversial east-side
marijuana cafe.

In that raid, spurred by media publicity and complaints from
neighbourhood residents, investigators seized nine kilograms of pot,
some hashish, and cookies laced with both drugs, as well as $63,000 cash.

The pot was allegedly being sold to anyone who filled in a form
saying it was for medicinal use with no requirement for a doctor's letter.

Gwilt denied a police contention Da Kine was doing $30,000 a day in business.

The cafe on trendy Commercial Drive was allowed to reopen without the
pot but later closed and Gwilt surrendered her business licence. It's
now a 1950s-style diner, said Gratl.

Gwilt told her trial the money seized from her car was donations to
her defence fund and the pot had been slated for sale at the De Kine cafe.

"She's disappointed that the jury didn't believe her about the source
of the funds that were seized from the vehicle," said Gratl. "But she
is gratified that the jury did believe her that her co-accused didn't
know the contents of the bag that he was carrying."

The case connected to the raid has not yet been scheduled for trial,
said Gratl. The later charges went ahead first because it was a
simpler case, he said.