DRUG DEALER ASKS FOR STIFFER SENTENCE

A brazen street-level drug dealer caught by undercover officers repeatedly
making deals at a downtown doughnut shop is headed to a federal penitentiary.

An interesting aspect of this case is the Crown wasn't seeking a
penitentiary term, but Jason Beausoleil, 24, told the court, through
defence counsel Donald Plaunt, he preferred a penitentiary term to being
sent to a provincial reformatory.

That's because the federal system is known to offer much better programs
for substance abuse and anger management, two issues his client wants to
address so he can lead a more productive life once he's released from
prison, said Plaunt.

Federal Crown prosecutor Robert Topp told the court that between November
of last year and May 15 of this year, Beausoleil was caught selling small
amounts of marijuana out of a downtown coffee shop on five different occasions.

The first four times, Beausoleil sold the drugs to undercover police officers.

During the last incident on May 15, police risked blowing a large-scale
undercover operation to rid the downtown of low-level dealers because
Beausoleil's actions were so brazen and in the open, said Topp.

Plaunt said his client's arrest on five counts of trafficking Resulted "in
a pretty significant wakeup call for him." He knows he can't avoid a long
jail sentence and he needs to address his own substance abuse problems.

When he told his client the Crown was seeking a jail sentence of less than
two years, Beausoleil refused and said he's rather do a longer stint in the
federal system where he can access counseling for anger management and
substance abuse, said Plaunt.

"There are no programs in the provincial system=85he's tried to access
programs and he's not been successful" since his arrest six weeks ago, he said.

The penitentiary term and counseling will allow Beausoleil to get some help
and change his lifestyle so he won't return to selling drugs illicitly once
he's released, said Plaunt.

Before Justice William Fitzgerald agreed to the two-year penitentiary term,
Beausoleil told the court he wants to change his life around while in prison.

"I may not like the penitentiary much, but if it puts me on the right
track, then it's what I must do," he said. "I thank you for your time."