Convicted cocaine smuggler Shminder Johal - a Richmond businessman - was not the leader of a sophisticated crossborder smuggling ring and should serve no more than 15 years in jail, his lawyer argued Tuesday.
Danny Markovitz said it would be unfair to impose a term of 20 years on Johal, 38, as prosecutor James Torrance urged Justice Selwyn Romilly to do.
"It would ruin the lives of his children, his wife, his parents," Markovitz told B.C. Supreme Court.
Romilly convicted Johal and former Canada Services Border Agency guard Baljinder Kandola of importing more than 200 kilograms of cocaine back in 2007 and being part of a smuggling conspiracy that involved other shipments.
"There is someone obviously higher up than Mr. Johal," Markovitz said. "Clearly Mr. Johal was not near the top of the organization."
On top of conspiracy and importation of cocaine, Johal was found guilty of bribing Kandola, as well as importing firearms.
Romilly reserved his ruling on the sentences until Friday, when both Johal and Kandola will be taken into custody.
