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Norman Wells woman jailed for trafficking cocaine

A Norman Wells woman bid an emotional farewell to her young child in a Yellowknife courtroom Tuesday after being sentenced to six months in jail for trafficking cocaine.

Chelsea Bjornson, 25, kissed her child goodbye, wiping away tears as she was taken into custody following Justice Louise Charbonneau’s decision.

“Your honour, this is a sad day …,” said Bjornson’s lawyer, Jamel Chadi, during the sentencing hearing in NWT Supreme Court.

On June 21, 2016, following the launch Project Gatecrash, an RCMP investigation into drug trafficking in the town of Norman Wells, Mounties called a phone number linked to a man they suspected of selling cocaine.

After arranging to buy one gram of cocaine, an undercover officer was met by Bjornson and the man. Bjornson received $180 from the Mountie, who was handed a bag of cocaine by the man.

Two days later, RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence linked to Bjornson. Police seized $1,245, including the cash used in the undercover buy.

Bjornson pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking cocaine in court on Tuesday.

She became a mother following her arrest.

The offence can carry upwards of a one-year sentence, but the Crown and defence submitted a joint-recommendation of six months in jail followed by one-year probation, taking into account Bjornson’s “unique circumstances,” as a young mother.

Chadi said his client was “caught up” in the world of drugs - a world she didn’t belong in.

Bjornson, Chadi told the court, is an active member of the community in Norman Wells, volunteering as a firefighter and raising funds for a daycare centre in town.

He added Bjornson was not an initial target in the RCMP drug trafficking probe.

Charbonneau accepted what she called an an “extremely lenient” sentence given Bjornson’s circumstances. She stressed others choosing to traffic cocaine shouldn’t expect a similar sentence.

Charbonneau said there’s no doubt the drugs trafficked by Bjornson caused harm to the community, adding that drug dealing is not a victimless crime. She said the impact of the illegal trade often plays out in places where people don’t look: addicts breaking into homes to feed their addiction, or parents neglecting to care for and feed their children.

Charbonneau ordered the return of Bjornson’s truck, which was seized by police after her arrest. The confiscated cash must be forfeited.

In May, B.C.-born Kelly Sweeney, 30, received a two-year sentence after a search of his apartment, executed by Norman Wells RCMP the same day police seized cash from Bjornson, yielded over 100 grams of cocaine and nearly $26,000.