'NASTY' DAN SENTENCED FOR CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION WORK

A Surrey man known as "Nasty Dan" has become the second person in B.C.
to be sentenced for commissioning an offence for a criminal
organization.

Daniel Michael MacNeil was recently sentenced to seven years in prison
by a B.C. Supreme Court judge after being found guilty of several
charges, including conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and
commission of an offence for a criminal organization.

MacNeil and his associates were the focus of a 15-month drug
trafficking investigation.

Insp. Trent Rolfe, senior investigator in the Surrey RCMP's
plainclothes unit, called MacNeil's conviction "a major blow to the
criminal commerce that flourishes when penalties are not severe."

Rolfe said the judge's ruling confirms the "abhorrence" the public has
for drug traffickers.

Criminal organizations, he noted, thrive on profit obtained "from
inflicting misery onto society and the court has sent a strong and
clear message that will not be tolerated. We are very pleased."