Pubdate: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2005 The Calgary Sun Contact: http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67 Author: Kevin Martin Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Rochfort+Bridge (Rochfort Bridge) MARIJUANA PRODUCER AVOIDS JAIL City's first pot grower since RCMP killings sentenced The first Calgary-area marijuana grower sentenced since the Mayerthorpe massacre was spared a prison term yesterday. But defence lawyer Elliot Baker defended Judge Terry Semenuk's ruling, noting the judge addressed concerns earlier in the week about comparisons to last week's Mountie killings in which four officers were gunned down while investigating a marijuana grow operation. Semenuk did not mention the murders of the four officers in handing Nguyen Nguyen an 18-month conditional sentence. But outside court, Baker said Semenuk did earlier raise the issue of the public concern over the relationship between marijuana grow operations and the Mayerthorpe slayings. Baker said Semenuk determined there was no need to consider the case in light of the murders after RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli backed down from earlier statements. The top Mountie initially said it was time to review Canada's drug strategy following the slayings, but later said the killings were as much linked to stolen property as drugs. "I think an informed person would recognize Mayerthorpe wasn't a grow op," Baker said of the 20 marijuana plants found on killer James Roszko's farm. Nguyen, 42, admitted overseeing a crop of 506 marijuana plants at his Chestermere home. Based on a tip, Mounties went to Nguyen's Cove Point residence last April 13 and spoke to Nguyen, who allowed them to enter his home. After searching the basement and finding the plants, with a potential profit of $500,000 per harvest, cops ob-tained a search warrant and Nguyen was arrested. In handing Nguyen a conditional term, which includes 12 months of house arrest, Semenuk noted the now-Calgary resident was not in line to reap huge profits from the operation. Nguyen had agreed to allow others to grow the plants in his home and had been paid $6,000 for a previous harvest, the provincial court judge noted. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom