Cocaine-carrying trucker given conditional term

A 43-year-old Watson Lake man received a 12-month conditional sentence in Yukon Supreme Court on Thursday after he was convicted of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

A 43-year-old Watson Lake man received a 12-month conditional sentence in Yukon Supreme Court on Thursday after he was convicted of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Thomas Corcoran was arrested in Upper Liard on April 27, 2007after the RCMP, acting on information received from witness reports, pulled him over while driving.

In the 1994 Blazer, said Crown prosecutor Eric Marcoux, police found three ounces (93.1 g) of powder cocaine, $12,900 cash in two socks, $497 US, two full boxes of ammunition, a hunting knife, a smaller knife, and a plastic straw in Corcoran’s jacket containing cocaine residue.

The cocaine’s value is $4,000 in bulk or $7,500 if sold in individual amounts, said Marcoux.

Police also found a weighing scale in the purse of Corcoran’s co-accused, Joele Thomson.

All charges against her were dropped.

The case was originally set for a four-day trial beginning this week, but last-minute negotiations resulted in Corcoran changing his plea to guilty, thus forgoing the need for a trial.

Police seized Corcoran’s vehicle and the items found inside. They also obtained a search warrant for his home and discovered a scale that tested positive for cocaine powder, as well as four old rifles.

Marcoux said that had the matter gone to trial, there would have been contention in regards to the warrants and their execution.

In a second vehicle parked in front of Corcoran’s residence, said Marcoux, police found a semi-automatic, .22-calibre rifle.

Marcoux initially said this vehicle belonged to Corcoran, but Vancouver-based defence lawyer Daniel Gellar said it did not.

Corcoran was charged with drug posssesion for the purpose of trafficking and breaching his recognizance.

Corcoran was serving an undertaking at the time, in relation to a conviction of making threats, prohibiting him from owning any ammunition or firearms.

He received a concurrent 30-day sentence for this charge.

Corcoran will serve the first nine months of his 12-month sentence under house arrest, which means he may not leave his residence without written permission.

Marcoux and Gellar made a joint submission to Justice Ron Veale, which he did not dispute.

Veale said he is satisfied that a jail sentence served in the community will not endanger anyone.

But any breaches of the imposed conditions will be cause for “very, very serious concern,“ he said, and would likely result in incarceration.

Marcoux identified the sentence as at the “very low end of the range.“

He added that had the Crown’s case not been plagued by problems involving the execution of the search warrants and reasonable grounds for arrest, Corcoran could have received a sentence to be served at a federal penitentiary.

Marcoux also noted that Corcoran has been living under strict conditions since his release from prison last September, and has not breached them during this eight-month time period.

Corcoran and Thomson have been living at the Stratford Motel in downtown Whitehorse for the last several months because they have been barred from returning to the residence in Upper Liard.

The residence has been broken into twice since their absence, said Gellar, who also described their quarters at the Stratford as “very cramped indeed.“

Nonetheless, Veale included provisions not to attend Watson Lake or Upper Liard in the conditions of Corcoran’s sentence.

The Crown agreed to return the 1994 Blazer to Corcoran, and to return two of the four rifles seized from the residence.

These two rifles are heirlooms belonging to Thomson’s family, court heard.

“To the best of their knowledge, these weapons have not been fired in decades,“ said Gellar.

Although Thomson does not currently possess a licence permitting her to own firearms, she will be able to take possession of the two rifles upon obtaining one.

The other two rifles have been forfeited to the Crown, as well as all other items seized on April 27.

Gellar said he would like to schedule a hearing for the forfeiture of the money seized, in the amount of $12,900 Cdn and $497 US. The money is currently in the Crown’s possession.

The date of the hearing is pending.

Thomson and Corcoran will receive the amount they spent on bail, which is $2,000 for Thomson and $4,500 for Corcoran.

Corcoran will get $1,500 back because the remainder of his bail was paid for by others, court heard.

Because Corcoran is a trucker, he will be permitted to carry a cell phone and to travel to other jurisdictions such as B.C. or Alaska, as long as he has prior written permission.

Veale suggested the details of these arrangements could be worked out with Corcoran’s supervisor on a weekly basis. He also imposed a 10-year firearms prohibition in his decision

Corcoran has a prior conviction on drug trafficking charges, which dates back 20 years.