SPANISH DRUG SMUGGLERS SEEK MERCY

Pleading for leniency in their ecstasy smuggling sentences, a young Spanish
man and woman told a judge yesterday they had learned their lesson and
wanted to go home. "We through our stupid actions have put our future in
your hands," said Marc Cochran, 21, in a brief speech he gave in Spanish
following sentencing submissions by Crown and defence lawyers. "We are
young, that's why we ask you to give us the chance to rehabilitate ourselves."

Crown lawyer Karen Dickson had asked the court to consider a jail sentence
for Cochran and his girlfriend Monica Mengual, 21, of four years.

Minus the time the couple had already served, that would mean an additional
two years and 10 months of custody. But defence lawyers Lawrence Greenspon
and Trevor Brown argued their clients should be sentenced to time served,
in part because neither defendant spoke English and so both were
"culturally isolated."

"The likelihood that they'll make the same mistake in the future is
non-existent," said Brown of Mengual and Cochran, who were arrested last
April at the Ottawa International Airport when they claimed lost bags
containing 40,000 ecstasy pills.

Low-Strength Pills

Greenspon highlighted the fact that the ecstasy pills seized had been very
low strength and said the court should view that as a mitigating factor.

But Dickson said a strong message needed to be sent to other young people
who might consider taking a drug-mule gig.

"It's okay if you traffic in crappy ecstasy pills because you might get a
lighter sentence?" she asked incredulously. "Is that the message we want to
be sending?"

Whatever the message, Cochran himself had a word of warning to other
would-be couriers in his speech.

"If you are promised big amounts of money it will not be worth it. Being
free has no price."

A decision on a sentence is expected tomorrow.