Teen “drug mule” and family leave Nunavut for new start

A 15-year-old boy “pressured” into transporting 1.4 kilograms of marijuana with a street value of $50,000 from Ottawa to Iqaluit received a one-year suspended sentence this week.

The boy, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act, retrieved the drugs at an Ottawa residence on Nov. 2, 2001. RCMP drug section officers tipped off by a confidential source arrested the teen as he stepped off the plane in Iqaluit.

The boy undertook the transaction at the request of an adult male, he said. The adult supplied the drug money and covered the cost of the teen’s flight, court heard. The young man said he felt pressured by the adult dealer to make the trip.

The adult male faces drug charges and will appear in court in October.

Defence lawyer Brad MacIsaac said his client was a “follower, not a leader” and was susceptible to peer pressure.

“[The teen] was a mule for a sophisticated adult,” said Crown lawyer Ken Kehler.

The boy’s father stood up in court and said the family is moving south as a result of the incident.

While on probation, the teen must adhere to a curfew, undergo counselling, either return to school or get a job, and complete 100 hours of community work.