A 72-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to five years in prison after being caught at Vancouver International Airport with 29 kilograms of methamphetamines and 11 kilograms of cocaine and crack cocaine.
Justice Diane Vandor sentenced Yun Chuen Wong in Richmond Provincial Court on Tuesday for four counts to which he had pleaded guilty.
Wong was caught on Sept. 29, 2023 at YVR with the vacuum-packed drugs in two suitcases.
The street value in Hong Kong of the methamphetamine was estimated at more than C$900,000 while, in Vancouver, its street value was estimated at between C$118,000 and C$132,000.
The cocaine was estimated to have a street value in Hong Kong of C$3.4 million, while in Canada its street value was estimated at C$177,870.
Wong pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of drugs for export and two charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Wong was given a five-year sentence; he will spend 1,031 days in jail since he has been in custody since his arrest.
Wong had travelled back and forth between Hong Kong and Canada six times in the year before he was caught in September 2023 with the drugs.
Wong was supposed to fly back to Hong Kong on Sept. 25, 2023, but he changed his flight after someone who was supposed to get on the same flight was caught allegedly exporting drugs.
Wong changed his flight a couple times but didn’t show up at the airport.
On Sept. 29, security cameras showed he arrived at the airport accompanied by an “unknown Asian man” who went with him to the flight checkout.
After the bags were checked in, CBSA officers found the drugs and Wong was arrested.
Crown prosecutor Ka Wong said “we don’t know much about Mr. Wong,” adding he’s been “evasive” about friends he has in Canada.
In his statement before Wong’s sentencing, Ka Wong said exportation shouldn’t be treated as “less egregious” than importation.
“Both importation and exportation involve the transnational flow of drugs, the breaching of the integrity of national borders and, most importantly, being part of an organized crime scheme in which substantial profit is extracted from the destruction of lives and communities,” Ka Wong said.
He said denouncement and deterrence are important principles in such cases as drugs are “deeply harmful to individuals and communities.”
“Drug mules are the essential ingredients to make drugs flow internationally,” Ka Wong added.
Wong’s defence lawyer, Xue Wang (Ethan) noted Wong cooperated with police when he was arrested and answered questions "peacefully."
Wang added Wong is at low risk to re-offend since he won’t be able to re-enter Canada after he serves his jail sentence.
Wong wasn’t involved in the production, pricing or negotiation of the drugs, and was “just a courier,” and a third party packed and assisted him to transport the drugs to the airport and check them in, Wang added.
Furthermore, Wang said, Wong wasn’t motivated by financial gain; rather, he was promised gifts.
Judge notes maximum penalty for trafficking drugs is life
The Crown prosecutor and Wong’s defence lawyer had come to an agreed statement of facts before the sentencing.
Wong expressed remorse verbally to Vandor in court on Tuesday, through a Cantonese interpreter, saying “I’m truly sorry for what I did.”
Vandor said being a drug courier is a serious offence and the maximum penalty is life in prison.
Aggravating circumstances in this case, Vandor said, were the type of drugs, their quantity and value.
Further aggravating factors were Wong’s motivation of personal gain, the premeditation of the crime, and attempts to avoid detection and capture.
While Vandor said she wasn’t giving Wong a “seniors discount,” she cited his guilty plea, his advanced age and ailing health as mitigating factors.
Sentencing is driven by the need to deter possible couriers, Vandor said, adding couriers are often “sympathetic and vulnerable,” which is why they’re recruited.
In addition to the five-year prison sentence, Wong was given a 10-year weapons ban and has to submit a DNA sample. He will not have to pay a victim surcharge.
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