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Issue 46
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
www.estevanmercury.ca
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Police lay several charges in drug bust By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
A Regina man is facing seven charges following a drug bust in the southeast last week. According to a news release from the Estevan Police Service (EPS) issued on Monday evening, the Drug/Intelligence Unit for the EPS initiated an investigation back in January on a man involved with trafficking crack cocaine and cocaine in the Estevan area. Then on Thursday afternoon, members of the EPS’s Containment Warrant Entry Team (CWET) and Drug/Intelligence Unit, as well as members of the Estevan RCMP, executed a search warrant at a residence in Bienfait. The man was taken into custody without incident. “Our Drug and Intelligence Unit worked on this investigation, and determined they had enough information to proceed with the search warrant in Bienfait,” Police Chief Paul Ladouceur said in an interview with the Mercury. “Generally when we’re conducting a warrant that is outside the city, and in another police area, we will obviously involve that police service as well, as would they with us if there was another service.” It’s not uncommon for the EPS and the Estevan RCMP to work together in these situations in which the EPS has been investigating a crime and the search warrant is executed outside of city limits, the police chief said. The EPS has also found itself in situations in which the CWET team had to respond to calls outside of city limits. During the investigation, it was determined the man lied to police about his identity when he was initially arrested for possession of marijuana on Jan. 10. “Obviously he provided a name that the officers were concerned wasn’t
accurate, so they started doing some investigation into that, and looking at file photos and things like that, and were able to determine that he was in fact not who he said he was,” said Ladocueur. If someone has been charged for a crime, and there’s a mug shot taken, then the police have the ability to go back and confirm identity through those photos. He also failed to make his first court appearance for the marijuana possession charge. Once police confirmed his identity, it was noted that the male was currently on an undertaking in Regina from a judge, which included multiple conditions. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest from Immigration Canada in connection with a charge that was not disclosed. “The reason he didn’t give it was pretty obvious, when you look at the fact that there was a warrant outstanding and he was on an undertaking and failed to attend court,” said Ladouceur. Christian Karuranga, 31, is facing charges of trafficking cocaine and possession of more than 30 grams of marijuana under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He is also facing charges of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, possession of a prohibited weapon, obstructing a peace officer, failing to appear in court, and failing to comply with an undertaking. Those five charges are under the Criminal Code of Canada. The amount of drugs that were seized at the time of his arrest last week was not disclosed, as the incident is still under investigation. Karuranga was remanded into custody and made his first court appearance on Monday morning. The charges have not been proven in court.
Pottery class for kids From left, Tiffany Penill and Kaylee Kallis participate in a pottery class that was jointly run by the Souris Valley Museum and the Estevan Arts Council on Friday. Attendees of the class were making a ceramic bumblebee, a three-step process that involved making the bee form wet clay and cooking it twice in the oven, once for hardness and a second time for the glaze that was applied at the end. Photo by William Acri
New marijuana legislation draws community reaction By William Acri wacri@estevanmercury.ca
The provincial government has finally come out with its plan to handle marijuana legalization in Saskatchewan, and it aims to tie the laws and regulations around alcohol closely to the laws that will govern marijuana. Adults 19 and older will be allowed to possess marijuana. Minors are not and can receive tickets and be criminally charged. Additionally, criminal charges for all ages of users are tied to the amount of marijuana. The Saskatchewan government wants to draw a line between trafficking and personal possession, making one illegal and the other legal. People will not be allowed to smoke marijuana in public places. The province has stated that if legalized marijuana is going to happen, it’s going to happen in a way that protects youths and keeps it out of the hands of children. For those who are under 18 and caught with less than five grams, they will receive a ticket and have their marijuana taken away. Youths who
are caught with over five grams will be criminally charged. Anyone caught driving while high will face very serious charges and a zero tolerance policy will be implemented. New drivers caught driving while high will have steeper penalties. There will be various public education programs that the province will roll out and implement; these programs are designed to protect the public and educate youth about the dangers of using marijuana and the long-term effects of marijuana use at an early age. Marijuana comes in many different forums. For example, hash is condensed tetrahydrocannabinol (TCH), and 5.5 grams of marijuana is significantly less powerful compared with two grams of hash, but the weight of the physical product is how charges will be laid. “At this point I am not sure about how the legislation will deal with that matter, I think obviously there are various derivatives of cannabis and so forth and how the federal government knocks that down between now and
August certainly will allow clearer direction on that issue,” said Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur. “The idea is they are looking at not so much the concentration as much as the quantity. When you start getting into higher quantities that can quickly become an issue of trafficking. With tickets that can be issued to a youth for being in procession of under five grams, that again is a question of is it for personal possession or for trafficking?” Marijuana paraphernalia such as rolling paper, bongs and bud busters, to name a few, don’t currently have any specific age restrictions in the Criminal Code. Despite this the Estevan Police Service has ways of dealing with that issue. “I think it is going to come down to responsibility on behalf of the store, keeping in mind these are licensed stores. There is that legal overtone now that wasn’t there before,” said Ladouceur. “If there is a concern about irresponsibly on the part of the store in terms of selling certain things to A2 » FOUR
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