'50,000 JOINTS' TAKEN OFF THE STREETS

A routine Counter Attack Road Check last weekend nipped a substantial
marijuana operation in the bud.

Cranbrook RCMP spokesman Eric Ausman said officers pulled over a grey 2001
Pontiac Grand Am with Manitoba license plates just before 8 p.m. on Oct.
26. "The officer checking the vehicle detected a strong smell of what he
thought was marijuana coming from inside," Ausman said. "A subsequent
search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 10 pounds
(4.8 kilograms) of cultivated marijuana."

Police charged three people in connection with the bust - 21-year-old Mark
Allen Klassen of Pinawa, Manitoba, 31-year-old Shannon Pahara, of Coaldale,
Alberta and 27-year-old Signe Katherine Knutson (no fixed address).

All three appeared in the Cranbrook Law Courts on Monday and were held in
custody until their next court appearance scheduled for Nov. 1. The trio
face several charges including unlawful possession of Cannabis (marijuana)
as well as possession of Cannabis in an amount exceeding three kilograms
for the purpose of trafficking.

Unlawful possession of marijuana carries a range of punishments. The
maximum fine for a first time offender is $1,000 or $2,000 for repeat
offences. Jail time can range from a maximum six month term for a first
offence and up to five years for more serious offences.

Trafficking in marijuana (in excess of three kilograms) carries a much
stiffer maximum penalty. A person found guilty of this offence face a life
sentence behind bars.

"The seizure effectively took as many as 50,000 marijuana joints off the
streets," Ausman said. "Any seizure like this is significant because it
keeps the drugs off the street and lowers its availability.

"Reducing the drug's availability on the street is the important issue as
it may make the difference by preventing a teen from trying it for the
first time," Ausman said. "We are all well aware of the fact that youth
make up the largest percentage of marijuana users."