Meth, coke dealer handed lengthy prison sentence
An addict-turned-dealer in Saskatoon who brought kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine into Saskatchewan has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
With credit for the nine months she spent on remand before she was released on bail, Anita Lynn Favreau will serve just under six years for cocaine trafficking, possession of cocaine and meth for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime. She pleaded guilty to the charges this year.
Police had been watching Favreau, 44, since April 2015 in connection to suspected meth trafficking. She was arrested in November 2015 after an attempted drug robbery at her rented home on Garrison Crescent, where one of five men who invaded her home was shot and killed.
Justice Gerald Allbright noted Favreau’s drug business put a residential neighbourhood in danger. He said drugs like meth and cocaine are a “deadly scourge on society” and ruin lives, pointing to Favreau’s own addiction as proof.
Court heard she started using drugs at the age of 16 after being sexually abused. During her sentencing hearing, Favreau told court she has been sober for 22 months and is dedicated to turning her life around. Defence lawyer Marianna Jasper argued that a sentence of three and a half years would appropriately reflect her client’s need for rehabilitation.
Favreau was under the grip of addiction for a long time and has committed to walk a “different road” and become a contributing member of society, Allbright said in his sentencing decision.
He said Favreau’s personal circumstances played a role in arriving at her sentence — which Allbright noted falls at the lower end of the sentencing range — but her criminal record of prior drug convictions prevented him from going any lower.
The federal Crown sought an eight-year sentence, arguing Favreau’s distribution was high volume, widespread (she sold throughout the province) and included a level of violence. She met with high-ranking drug bosses in Edmonton and brought back kilograms of cocaine and meth to sell at the ounce level, court heard.
Mid-level meth trafficking generally yields sentences of three to seven years, prosecutor Stacey Cameron said when arguing for a higher sentence to reflect the highlevel trafficking.
Allbright sentenced Favreau to six and a half years for the meth trafficking offence and imposed concurrent sentences of three years for cocaine trafficking and four years each for possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possessing proceeds of crime.