Pubdate: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 Source: Surrey Now (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company Contact: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462 Author: Tom Zytaruk Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) BRIERE GETS FOUR YEARS IN JAIL Donald Briere milled about and casually sipped coffee in the smoking area outside Surrey provincial court Wednesday morning in a manner that suggested he didn't fully appreciate the gravity of his situation. Within 10 minutes, he would be handcuffed in front of his crying wife and marched off to federal prison to serve a four-year term for drugs and weapons offences. "I guess this is the big day," he told The Now outside court. He said he'd never been inside a jail in all of his 50 years, and wasn't sure where he'd be sent. "I would assume minimum security," he offered. Asked if he was nervous, he replied, "No, not really." Asked how he explained to his children, ages 5, 7 and 10, that he would be going to prison for four years, Briere said "they know all about it, but they're not very happy about it. All they know is their dad is going away. I'm going to jail for what I believe." Briere was the Marijuana Party candidate for Surrey-Tynehead in the last provincial election and received 370 votes. Arrested in a major drug bust in March 1999, Briere pleaded guilty to growing and possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, unlawful storage of ammo and possessing a prohibited weapon. Police seized 52 boxes of .22 calibre longs, two shotguns, a 9 mm handgun and 9 mm machine gun from him following a raid on his warehouse. In passing sentence, Judge Gurmail Gill noted that Briere directed a huge pot growing operation which netted him $2 million in illegitimate proceeds. When his warehouse was raided, police seized $625,000 in pot, up to $50,000 in growing equipment and 52 cartons of .22-calibre ammo. "It will suffice to say Mr. Briere was a very busy man," Gill said, noting the Surrey resident had been so proud of his organizational skills in the illegal marijuana industry he "even bragged about them." Though until now Briere had no criminal record, Gill added, "it would appear he has been in this business for some time." The court heard that Briere has a Grade 9 education and was at one time a bar manager and construction worker. His son Shane died of a heroin overdose at age 19 and he himself has had two heart attacks since his arrest in 1999. The federal government has chased him for his proceeds of crime and will likely seize his family home as well. Outside court, Briere's lawyer Bruce Ralston had little comment. "I think the judge said it all," he said. John Allen West, who said he's a Reverend Brother of the Church of the Universe, journeyed from Hornby Island to witness the sentencing hearing. "This is a travesty," said West, whose church considers pot a sacrament. "Out of all proportion," he said of the four-year sentence. "This is just continued harrassment." Michael Hansen, the Marijuana Party MLA candidate for Delta South in the last provincial election, also attended. "I'm very much outraged," he said. "Justice has not been served." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth