Pubdate: Wed, 19 Nov 2003
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2003, Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Sean McKibbon
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

SPANISH DRUG SMUGGLERS SEEK MERCY

Pleading for leniency in their ecstasy smuggling sentences, a young Spanish 
man and woman told a judge yesterday they had learned their lesson and 
wanted to go home. "We through our stupid actions have put our future in 
your hands," said Marc Cochran, 21, in a brief speech he gave in Spanish 
following sentencing submissions by Crown and defence lawyers. "We are 
young, that's why we ask you to give us the chance to rehabilitate ourselves."

Crown lawyer Karen Dickson had asked the court to consider a jail sentence 
for Cochran and his girlfriend Monica Mengual, 21, of four years.

Minus the time the couple had already served, that would mean an additional 
two years and 10 months of custody. But defence lawyers Lawrence Greenspon 
and Trevor Brown argued their clients should be sentenced to time served, 
in part because neither defendant spoke English and so both were 
"culturally isolated."

"The likelihood that they'll make the same mistake in the future is 
non-existent," said Brown of Mengual and Cochran, who were arrested last 
April at the Ottawa International Airport when they claimed lost bags 
containing 40,000 ecstasy pills.

Low-Strength Pills

Greenspon highlighted the fact that the ecstasy pills seized had been very 
low strength and said the court should view that as a mitigating factor.

But Dickson said a strong message needed to be sent to other young people 
who might consider taking a drug-mule gig.

"It's okay if you traffic in crappy ecstasy pills because you might get a 
lighter sentence?" she asked incredulously. "Is that the message we want to 
be sending?"

Whatever the message, Cochran himself had a word of warning to other 
would-be couriers in his speech.

"If you are promised big amounts of money it will not be worth it. Being 
free has no price."

A decision on a sentence is expected tomorrow.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman