Sentencing hearing to begin for Todd Dube, suspected head of Yellowknife drug ring
22-year-old was charged in April 2016 after lengthy RCMP investigation called 'Green Manalishi'
The man alleged to be the head of a sophisticated drug network in Yellowknife is scheduled to be sentenced this week.
The sentencing hearing for Todd Dube begins Wednesday in Yellowknife. Police believe Dube headed up a drug ring that sold fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs, and led to the biggest drug bust in the territory in the last 10 years.
The 22-year-old was charged in April 2016 after police raided six locations in the Yellowknife area. It was part of a lengthy RCMP investigation called "Green Manalishi."
They seized 1,200 fentanyl pills, four kilograms of cocaine, 16 pounds of marijuana, 11 litres of liquid codeine, $75,000 in cash, 10 guns and several vehicles. Police monitored a 24-hour drug trafficking operation, which utilized an extensive network of taxi cabs, street level drug traffickers and stash locations.
In all, 28 people were arrested.
Earlier this year, Dube's sister, Brittany, and another lower-level member of the operation, Eddy Radeka, were both sentenced to five years in prison for their part in the drug ring.
Brittany Dube worked for Jerrie's Delivery Service, which police say was a front for drug sales. It operated using a "dial-a-dope" phone hotline that averaged two ounces in crack cocaine sales a day.
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Norman Hache, another Yellowknife man arrested during the raids, also received a five-year sentence for selling crack and powdered cocaine in Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Hay River and Fort Resolution. Police moved in on him after getting a warrant, and listening in on and reading hundreds of his phone calls and texts.
Northwest Territories courts routinely hand out harsher sentences for fentanyl trafficking than cocaine trafficking because of the dangers associated with the deadly opiate.
Dube's sentencing hearing is expected to take two days.