Pubdate: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 Source: Richmond News (CN BC) Copyright: 2004, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc. Contact: http://www.richmond-news.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) GUILTY PLEA FOR GROW-OP DEATH A Surrey man charged in the beating death of a Richmond pot grower will be sentenced April 13 in the Port Coquitlam provincial courthouse. Milad Saffari pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of 41-year-old Vi Soi Hoang. The charge carries no mandatory minimum sentence under the criminal code, but has a maximum of life in prison A second man, 17 at the time of the killing, is still moving through the court system. The youth, now 19, is charged with second-degree murder in the case. He is scheduled to appear next before the courts to fix a date for trial March 3. Hoang died Sept. 9, 2002, one day after he was beaten up on the street outside a house at 8391 No. 4 Road. A search at the house by Richmond RCMP following the beating turned up some 750 pot plants. Eighteen-year-old Parminder Perry Soor of Vancouver has already been sentenced to a six-month jail term on charges of break, enter and robbery and possession of a loaded handgun in connection with the case. As well, another youth, age 16 at the time, admitted guilt to a charge of break and enter. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom