A Yellowknife woman who sold fentanyl and cocaine under the direction of drug-ring kingpin Norman Hache was sentenced to five years in prison Friday.
Thirty-nine-year old Bonita Bohnet, who pleaded guilty to trafficking fentanyl and conspiring to traffic cocaine in October, was handed the sentence by Justice Karan Shaner in NWT Supreme Court.
During a facts and sentencing hearing last week, the court heard Bohnet operated as a “middle-tier” member of Hache’s far-reaching drug network that stretched from Alberta to Yellowknife and throughout the territory.
Bohnet’s involvement in the Hache-led operation was uncovered during an RCMP-led probe into high-level drug trafficking in Yellowknife.
She was arrested and charged in April of 2016. A search of Bohnet’s vehicle and home resulted in the seizure of cocaine and fentanyl.
Audio tapes and transcripts of intercepted phone calls and text messages, played in court last week, illustrated Bohnet’s role as the primary operator of multiple “dial-a-dope” phones – 24-hour services that connect users with drugs – in the city.
Crown prosecutor Duane Praught had called for a five-year sentence, while Bohnet’s lawyer, Peter Harte, argued a four year sentence was more appropriate.
In rendering her decision, Justice Shaner acknowledged the steps Bohnet has taken to change her life following her arrest – including undergoing addictions counselling – but emphasized the seriousness of dealing life-ruining drugs like fentanyl and cocaine.
Bohnet, who was released on bail shortly after her arrest, waved goodbye to family and friends in court as she was taken into custody following the decision.
When released, Bohnet will be on probation and will be barred from possessing firearms for 10 years.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of Yellowknifer.