CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - A man who was part of an operation that involved transporting drugs throughout Quebec, New Brunswick and P.E.I. was sentenced Friday to two years in prison.
Malek Sahouli appeared before Justice Nancy Key in P.E.I. Supreme Court in Charlottetown for sentencing for conspiracy to traffic marijuana.
The two-year sentence was a joint recommendation, which Key accepted.
Sahouli was one of several people arrested in 2014 as part of an investigation known as Project Lurid that uncovered a network of people selling marijuana and methamphetamine in the Charlottetown area.
Federal Crown attorney Thomas Laughlin said Sahouli was fairly involved in the drug operation and made several trips to Montreal.
During one of those trips the police saw Sahouli and another man go into an apartment with bags.
The police seized 38 pounds of marijuana from the apartment and $44,000 in cash from one nearby, Laughlin said.
Related: 'Lurid' drug probe results in Islanders facing charges
Laughlin also said this jurisdiction doesn’t often see volumes of marijuana that significant.
Sahouli arrived at the courthouse in handcuffs and about three hours late after police officers executed a warrant and picked him up at the Charlottetown Airport Friday.
His sentencing was supposed to start at 9:30 a.m., but his lawyer informed the court Sahouli told him he was flying in at 11:45 a.m.
Before he arrived, the court dealt with a forfeiture application involving property seized during the investigation.
That property included drugs, packaging materials, large amounts of cash, cellphones, drug paraphernalia and items used for transporting drugs.
Defence lawyer Brendan Hubley said Sahouli didn’t oppose the forfeiture and none of the property was his.
Key granted the forfeiture request.
Along with the time in prison, Sahouli will be under a weapons prohibition for 10 years and must provide a DNA sample for the national databank.
He must also pay a $200 victim surcharge.
