FATHER OF 11 GOING TO JAIL FOR SELLING DRUGS

A Minnow Lake father of 11 who described himself as "the oil king" for his
ability to peddle hash oil was given a 26-month sentence in a federal
penitentiary Wednesday.

Despite pleading for leniency before sentence was passed, Barrington
Pitters, 49, was sentenced to the penitentiary term after police raided his
home and found large quantities of drugs, including a huge stash of
cannabis resin on Dec. 11, 2002.

If he doesn't get in trouble inside the penitentiary, Pitters will likely
be eligible for parole within six to nine months.

Police seized containers filled with cannabis resin inside and outside
Pitters' residence during a raid. One large container of hash oil was found
inside the bumper of a truck in his driveway.

The total amount of cannabis resin found was just under 1,000 grams or more
than 35 ounces. Police also found another 16 grams of marijuana and a large
amount of drug paraphenalia.

Justice William Fitzgerald said anyone who operates a large-scale
commercial drug operation out of their home can expect no less than a
penitentiary term.

Court heard Pitters had only two previous criminal convictions, both for
possession of cannabis, but had graduated to dealing drugs from his home.

Federal Crown prosecutor Robert Topp said, "This time he's managed to hit
the big time," and told the court Pitters often described himself as "the
oil king" to people he dealt cannabis resin to.

"This was absolutely commercial trafficking for profit," said Topp. "It was
also done from home where he was raising his children."

Considering the large amount of drugs seized and the fact Pitters has
previous drug convictions, Topp has asked Fitzgerald to impose a sentence
in the range of 30 months.

"The court must send a message to Barrington Pitters and other drug
traffickers...that you can't come to court with 10,000 reasons why they
shouldn't go to jail...when you operate a large-scale commercial drug
operation," said Topp.

"The message must be...that you will be dealt with firmly...the time has
come for Mr. Pitters and others like him to reap the consequences."

Defence counsel Craig Fleming said Pitters, who emigrated to Canada from
Jamaica many years ago, is the father of nine children and two stepchildren
and has always been a loving and respected father.

"He's very close to his kids...they're a very close family," said Fleming.

Since his arrest, Pitters has stayed out of trouble and started his own
small business doing home repairs and renovations.

If the court is going to send him to jail, a penitentiary term would be
preferable as there are programs available, said Fleming, who asked the
court to impose a jail sentence of two years.

Before sentence was passed, Pitters read from a statement and told the
court "I'm not a violent man and I know I made many mistakes."

Pitters' wife briefly addressed the court and said she knows her husband
has done wrong, but it will be very difficult for her to raise their
children alone. If the court must impose a jail sentence, she urged it to
be as short as possible.

Fitzgerald said under all the circumstances, a conditional sentence was
"clearly not appropriate" and imposed the 26-month sentence.