A Manitoba judge had little pity for two drug traffickers from Alberta who were caught with kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine and four loaded handguns in a Stradbrook Avenue suite in 2022.
“Let me be clear: the amount of sympathy I have for anyone who associates themselves in any way with a fentanyl operation can easily be contained on the head of a pin,” provincial court Judge Mary Kate Harvie wrote in a Tuesday sentencing decision in which each man got a 15-year sentence.
“These two offenders were found in a suite which was effectively a pharmacy of death. Any offender that becomes involved in any way with a high-end fentanyl operation is disentitled to sympathy.”
Luka Jock, 25, and Efren Gezehey, 27, were picked up when Winnipeg Police Service officers executed a warrant on a suite in the Osborne Village building in June 2022.
Police found significant quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, hydromorphone, Xanax pills and about $17,000 in cash, along with the guns, two of which had been stolen from an Alberta gun club during a break-in that year.
Police also arrested Thomas Negusse, who was the registered resident of the suite. He has since pleaded guilty to offences related to the seized items.
Jock and Gezehey were convicted of five counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, one count of possession of the proceeds of crime, six firearms offences and a court-order breach. Jock got a second court-order breach. Both were on release orders from Alberta that barred them from possessing weapons, ammunition and drugs, among other conditions.
The men will be credited for the time they served ahead of sentencing. Crown prosecutors Chantal English and Adam Bergen had sought sentences of 21 years, while the defence had asked for 11 years.
WPS Sgt. Michelle Bacik, who heads the drug unit, testified that the suite contained a high-level drug operation.
“She testified that only ‘trusted’ individuals would be allowed into a suite with this quantity of drugs, guns and cash,” Harvie wrote.
The drug-trade expert also told court there are no fentanyl labs in the province and that the drugs are processed in Alberta and British Columbia before being brought to Manitoba for sale.
Harvie said that although there was direct and circumstantial evidence to support the men’s convictions, the Crown did not call evidence as to the actual role the two men played in the drug operation.
Police did not conduct surveillance on the suite before executing the warrant, resulting in no evidence about how long each had been there before they were arrested, the judge noted.
Jock was born in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, where his family had lived for years after fleeing Sudan, before eventually moving to Calgary, Harvie said. Jock reported having a safe and happy childhood despite challenges. He went to work at a young age to support his mother after she and his stepfather split. He has no gang affiliations or issues with drugs or alcohol, apart from occasional cannabis use.
Gezehey was born in a refugee camp in Sudan after his family was displaced from Eritrea because of war and civil unrest, the judge said, before eventually moving to Calgary. His father left his mother when he was three and the lack of a father figure negatively affected him. Gezehey has no gang involvement or significant problems with drugs or alcohol.
Both finished high school and have regular employment histories. Their loved ones both expressed “shock” at their involvement in crime, Harvie wrote. Neither had a criminal record at the time of offending.
“Although there was no real effort by counsel to link their early upbringings to their offending behaviour, I accept that both accused likely experienced trauma during their early years in a refugee camp,” Harvie wrote. “However, it is disappointing to see two intelligent young men who were given opportunities in this country become involved in such serious offences.”
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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