An Ontario woman with aspirations to become an immigration consultant was caught smuggling almost a quarter million dollars’ worth of cocaine into Canada from Trinidad hidden inside an Xbox.
She will have five-and-a-half years in prison to think about what she characterized as a “mistake.”
The province’s Superior Court of Justice heard Brenda Dufort arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport aboard a flight from Trinidad on March 3, 2019.
“While she was retrieving her suitcase at the baggage terminal, a drug-sniffing dog signalled that the suitcase possibly contained contraband,” Justice Deena Baltman said in a recent decision.
“After Ms. Dufort’s referral to the secondary inspection counter, officers found 2,064.1 grams (i.e. approximately two kilos) of cocaine concealed inside an Xbox within her suitcase. The value of the cocaine ranges from $99,072 to $227,051, depending on whether it is sold in Canada by the gram or by the kilogram.”
Dufort, now 48, “testified that before this trip she was a regular purchaser of marijuana, from a dealer in Toronto named ‘Red.’ When she told Red that she was travelling to Trinidad on a vacation, he offered to pay her $5,000 to bring some money back to Canada,” said the decision dated Jan. 15.
“She agreed, believing she would be transporting currency, not narcotics. While in Trinidad, Red’s associate brought her the Xbox to take back to Canada. She assumed the box only contained money.”
Baltman “rejected Ms. Dufort’s explanation, finding it was contradicted by numerous text messages between her and her friend Theresa (who was originally scheduled to travel with her), particularly as several of the messages referred to the transporting of ‘stuff’ and ‘product.’”
The judge concluded “that Ms. Dufort knew that her handlers dealt in cocaine, and she accepted, without question or inspection, the package that was delivered to her and placed it in her luggage. I found she was, at a minimum, willfully blind to the contents of the Xbox, but more likely knew what it contained.”
Dufort’s pre-sentence report “is largely favourable and indicates that Ms. Dufort appears remorseful for the offence, characterizing her involvement as a ‘mistake,’” according to the decision.
She was “born and raised in Toronto. She has one sibling, a sister with whom she resides and has a close relationship. Her parents are still alive, and she has a good relationship with them as well.”
Dufort has worked in a variety of jobs since graduating from high school, said the judge, most recently as a delivery driver. “She studied immigration law in college and hopes to eventually become an immigration consultant.”
The Crown recommended she get six years in prison for the crime. Her lawyer argued for four.
“As a general rule, absent unusual or extenuating circumstances, first time couriers who smuggle large amounts (i.e. multiple kilos) of cocaine into Canada for personal gain should receive a sentence of six to eight years in the penitentiary,” said Baltman.
“This is in recognition of the devastating effects of the drug on people’s health and its strong association with violent crime, prompting the court to characterize cocaine importation as ‘both a violent and serious offence.’”
The judge saw Dufort’s paid and volunteer work, “strong family support” and “good prospects of rehabilitation,” as mitigating factors in the case.
Same goes for Dufort’s “health concerns, in particular a kidney condition which requires ongoing treatment.”
Dufort also helped authorities probe the case further. “Following her arrest, she identified ‘Red’ in a photo lineup and gave police his telephone number. She did this without disclosing her involvement in the scheme,” Baltman said.
Those all “bring Ms. Dufort slightly below the usual range of 6-8 years incarceration, but not dramatically,” said the judge.
“After balancing the competing factors present in this case and having regard to the jurisprudence, I conclude that a fit sentence is 5.5 years.”