Pubdate: Fri, 06 Apr 2007 Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2007 The Sudbury Star Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) KEEP GUNS, DRUGS OUT OF TOWN: JUDGE People who come to Sudbury from Toronto with a loaded handgun and drugs to deal ought to know they will be caught and jailed for a long time, a Sudbury judge told two Toronto men who came to Sudbury last June with a loaded handgun and drugs to sell. Dane Charles Roberts, 20, was sent to prison for 33 months, while Barry Thomas, 23, was given a 22-month term Thursday. The two pleaded guilty before Superior Court Justice Robert Del Frate to possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Roberts also pleaded guilty to possession of a Walther P38 nine-millimetre pistol, possession of a weapon while prohibited from possessing weapons and breaching a court order. The two were involved in selling cocaine to an undercover police officer on June 6 and June 7 last year. The first sale was for 25.2 grams of crack cocaine for $1,600. The second sale was for two ounces for $3,300. A week later, they were passengers in a taxi pulled over by Greater Sudbury Police in the Bloor and College streets area of the city. As Roberts got out of the taxi, police noticed the handgun in a partially open knapsack he was carrying. There were nine live rounds in the weapon's magazine, although the chamber itself was empty, said federal drug prosecutor Richard Hunneault. Also found were about 386 grams of crack cocaine worth an estimated $38,600 on the street, more than $2,000 in cash, as well as scales. Roberts' lawyer, Bob Beckett, told the court his client carried the handgun for protection after suffering life-threatening injuries from a stab wound when he was 18. The gun was intended as a deterrent, he said. Both Roberts and Thomas have been held in Sudbury Jail since their arrest last June. In September, Roberts was attacked by other inmates and required medical treatment that included 65 stitches, said Beckett. Roberts - who like Thomas is black - was unwelcome in many parts of the jail and was not able to attend academic upgrading for a time because other inmates refused to be with him, said Beckett. "On at least three occasions he had to defend himself," in the jail, said Beckett. "It seems to me," said Hunneault, Roberts "made a conscious decision to embark on a lifestyle which can do no good." He was attracted by the lure of quick cash, but "that lifestyle catches up to everyone some time." "Very few things affect the security of a community more than the introduction of handguns on the street," said provincial prosecutor Marc Hunneault. Handguns "have become an issue in this community. I don't really care whether the gun was ever intended to be pointed or fired, they serve no useful purpose." Their availability in a confrontation can only lead to disaster, he said. "We cannot let this community live through the insecurity" that other communities are having to deal with. Thomas had no previous criminal record before Thursday's court hearing, said lawyer Alex Toffoli, and had been employed as a supervisor at a Toronto-area call centre. The day of his arrest, Thomas' common-law wife gave birth to the couple's first child. The judge said he was impressed by the level of family support apparent for the two men, and of their apparent intelligence, "and yet here we are." The potential danger created by the presence of the loaded handgun was tremendous, he said. "I could just see a police officer or yourself .. it's a good thing neither overreacted in that situation. We are all thankful no serious injury or harm resulted from that occurrence that day," he said. There was definitely a need for deterrence in this case, said the judge. People need to know, "if they want to come to Sudbury and they have a gun and they want to sell drugs, they are going to get caught and you're going to jail for a long time." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman