Pubdate: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 Source: Surrey Leader (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 Surrey Leader Contact: http://www.surreyleader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1236 Author: Dan Ferguson BRIERE ARRESTED, CHARGED FOR POT Police have arrested a former Surrey pot grower linked to a controversial Vancouver store that sells marijuana over the counter. Vancouver Police Const. Sarah Bloor said officers seized "six pounds of marijuana and $6,000 in cash" when they stopped Donald Briere's car Sunday in Vancouver. Briere was on parole after serving 14 months of a four-year sentence for running a pot growing and smuggling operation in Surrey. Bloor confirmed reports that Briere was taken to a hospital following his arrest when he complained about chest pains. Tuesday, Briere was transferred from hospital to prison. Briere's lawyer, John Conroy, said his client's parole has been suspended and a charge of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking has been laid. Briere confirmed his involvement in the "Da Kine Smoke and Beverage Shop" during an interview with The Leader last Friday, saying the store was set up by the Canadian Sanctuary Society (a non-profit group he founded that it is dedicated to helping people legally obtain marijuana for medical purposes). The store was raided last week by police, four months after it opened for business on Commercial Drive. Briere, a Marijuana Party candidate in the Surrey-Tynehead riding in the last provincial election, was sentenced to four years in jail on Oct. 10, 2001 for running what police called a highly sophisticated marijuana growing and cross-border pot smuggling operation that generated millions of dollars in illicit profits. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh