Pubdate: Wed, 07 Apr 2004
Source: Halifax Herald (CN NS)
Copyright: 2004 The Halifax Herald Limited
Contact:  http://www.herald.ns.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180
Author: Tera Camus

GRANDMOTHER JAILED FOR TRAFFICKING PILLS

C.B. Woman Made Ends Meet Selling Prescription Drugs

SYDNEY - A grandmother from New Waterford was sentenced to four months in 
jail Tuesday for selling prescription drugs.

Agnes Josephine Peckham, 65, burst out crying and nearly collapsed when 
Judge Brian Williston rejected a joint recommendation of house arrest and 
ordered the first-time convicted drug dealer to serve jail time.

"Oh, God . . . I got to sit down," she shouted through tears. One of her 
daughters rushed to the back of the Sydney courtroom, crying hysterically, 
then rocked back and forth as her mother continued to weep.

At times, it was difficult to hear Judge Williston as he sentenced Ms. 
Peckham to one year of probation after her release and imposed a 10-year 
ban on weapons because she had stored her dead husband's gun in her home 
without a trigger lock.

Judge Williston said the proposed sentence of six to eight months of house 
arrest was "ridiculous," given that the woman was using her home to sell 
drugs to a steady stream of customers, making a profit that was used to 
supplement her pension of about $950 per month.

"She sold twice to an undercover police officer, which had to involve 
planning and deliberation by Ms. Peckham to break the law to make easy 
money," he said.

"There's no question that a drug dealer like Ms. Peckham should know that 
they'll likely receive a substantial penalty if caught."

The court was told an undercover Cape Breton Regional Police officer 
knocked on Ms. Peckham's door twice last March and purchased two OxyContin 
painkillers.

The drug has been linked to two sudden deaths in the province and a series 
of theft-related crimes in the Sydney area.

The court was told Ms. Peckham asked the officer whether she was over 19. 
She apparently said no but still received the drugs in exchange for $20.

When the officer returned with other narcotics investigators and a warrant, 
they opened Ms. Peckham's purse.

It was filled with prescription drugs, including 67 doses of Fiorinal, 56 
of Percocet, 27 of Percodan, 82 of OxyContin and 151 of Valium. In a 
downstairs bedroom were another 139 Valium tablets in a plastic bag.

All the medications, with the exception of the anti-anxiety drug Valium, 
are highly addictive narcotic painkillers that contain codeine or a mix of 
codeine and oxycodone. Oxycodone, when abused, gives a high similar to 
cocaine or heroin.

"It's a difficult thing to understand why a mother and grandmother would 
want to get involved in selling these things, but it's become notorious in 
our area," Crown attorney Dave Iannetti said before sentencing.

"No wonder it's difficult to stamp out when you have a grandmother selling. 
. . . It's a sad commentary on our community."

Nor did Ms. Peckham think she was doing anything wrong, he said.

"Having a rough financial state . . . does not justify selling this garbage 
in our community," Mr. Iannetti said.

Later, he said: "We're literally finding bodies in the street, and people 
need to stop (trafficking drugs). Prescription pills are a plague in our 
community." In the past 18 months, there have been 20 sudden deaths in the 
Sydney area believed to be connected to prescription drugs and alcohol abuse.

Other crimes seen as linked to drug use have included attempted murders, 
armed robberies and standoffs, break-ins and thefts.

The court was told Ms. Peckham was making a $6 profit on each of the 
OxyContin pills she sold, buying them first from another street dealer and 
reselling them at a higher rate.

The going rates for prescription drugs on the street are $20 to $80 per 
pill for OxyContin, $10 to $15 for two Fiorinal, Percocet or Percodan, and 
50 cents to $1 per Valium tablet.

The widow of a coal miner, described by a former neighbour as a "kind and 
helpful friend," was a woman just trying to get by, her legal aid lawyer said.

"She's categorized as a petty trafficker," Art Mollon said. "She was on a 
fixed income, trying to maintain her home she and her husband resided in.

"She found it difficult to make ends meet."

Mr. Mollon said his client has learned from her mistake since being charged 
with trafficking, which "mortified" her and her large family.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart