From: johnturmel@yahoo.com   
      
   TURMEL: Crown drops Luc Lapierre's big medpot charges   
      
   JCT: Fascinating story. Luc Lapierre was busted with the   
   Nouage Criminal Organization raid a couple of years ago.   
   Most of the others have taken plea deals and are in jail.   
      
   He was charged with Production for the Purpose of   
   Trafficking with a minimum 2 years sentence, with Possession   
   for the Purpose of Trafficking with a possible life sentence   
   for over 3Kg, counting the plant material, and Possession of   
   10 grams of hash.   
      
   Luc filed a motion to quash. Judge Millar refused to hear it   
   and booked him for his trial without a Preliminary Inquiry.   
      
   He filed a motion in Superior Court for an Order of Mandamus   
   that Millar adjudicate the Quash and for an Order of   
   Prohibition against any trial without a P.I.   
      
   But he couldn't get a date for the Superior Court hearing.   
   It was sent to a judge's desk to pick a date and nothing   
   happened.   
      
   The trial he was trying to prohibit started before Judge   
   Laflamme last Friday.   
      
   Luc showed the judge his motion to prohibit but since   
   nothing had been done, he took up the pre-plea Quash.   
   And then put if off a month for some more input.   
      
   But the Crown mentioned that they expected that Luc would be   
   doing the same thing as Nicola Fontana did, admit all facts   
   but then elect a jury trial.   
      
   The only way they could avoid the election to jury trial was   
   to drop the Production charge carrying the mandatory minimum   
   and reduce the Possession for the Purpose charge to under   
   3Kg, actually, 264 grams of dried bud! Har har har. Not even   
   a day's dosage for Michael Pearce or Ray Hathaway.   
      
   So he's facing Possession for the Purpose of trafficking   
   264 grams and Possession of 10 grams of hash.   
      
   Sure, he can't take it to the jury but it's also doubtful   
   any judge would jail him on such minor violations.   
      
   Remember that back in December, he filed a motion to get   
   back his bail money on the grounds of family need. The $12   
   grand on his credit card is costing him $200 a month his   
   family could really use. Refused.   
      
   So given the Crown has seen fit to reduce the severity of   
   the charges, maybe the next judge will see fit to reduce the   
   severity of the bail.   
      
   Seems word has gotten out to the guys doing their mandatory minimums in jail.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)