Image Credit: Shannon Quesnel
January 22, 2015 - 1:09 PM
KAMLOOPS - One of two seniors arrested at a marijuana grow-op north of Kamloops has been handed a six-month conditional sentence while another faces the prospect of jail time.
Myrna Dundas, 66, pleaded guilty to possession of less than three kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
Crown lawyer Anthony Varesi said Clearwater RCMP raided the grow-op in August 2013.
When Mounties entered an outbuilding, they found Dundas with scissors in her hand, trimming buds from freshly cut pot plants, Varesi said.
There were 150 plants in the building, part of what he called a relatively small operation.
Donald Clarkson, 76, was the tenant of the property in Little Fort, about 90 kilometres north of Kamloops.
Clarkson has pleaded guilty to unlawful production of marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking. He will be sentenced at a later date.
The minimum sentence is six months in jail.
Varesi and defence lawyer Bill Sundhu made a joint submission for a six-month conditional sentence for Dundas, including an evening curfew.
During the first four months of her sentence, Dundas must abide by a daily curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. She is also prohibited from drinking alcohol.
Sundhu said she was married for 25 years and raised two stepchildren with her former spouse. He said the pensioner has health problems and lives alone on a limited income.
“She’s been a hard-working and independent person,” Sundhu said, adding Dundas was visiting Clarkson and unwisely agreed to help him harvest the crop.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015