COUPLE FACING JAIL TIME FOR GROW-OP

A Regina couple who tended a sophisticated marijuana operation inside
an east Regina home could face more than two years in prison, if a
judge accepts the Crown's request for a hefty sentence to deter other
would-be drug growers.

Counsel for Thieu Hung Chau and Loi Thi Ly is arguing they should
receive community-based sentences in the range of 18 months for their
stewardship of the drug crop located inside their house on the 3300
block of Tanager Crescent.

"(They were) perfect citizens to be duped into this criminal role,"
said the couple's lawyer, Glen Dowling.

Chau, 53, and Ly, 41, previously pleaded guilty to drug and theft
charges, pertaining to the marijuana production and the use of water
and electrical utilities in the operation. Neither has a criminal record.

Crown prosecutor Hal Wellsch is asking for prison terms between two-
and two-and-a-half years, arguing that even if Chau and Ly didn't plan
the operation, the marijuana crop would not have flourished without
the daily care they provided.

He said deterrence is an important aspect of the sentencing since
there have been a number of similar drug operations discovered in
wealthy or middle class areas of Regina lately, and noted the fact
there were children living in the home with the grow operation is an
aggravated factor.

A Crown expert estimated the possible commercial value of the
operation to be more than $477,000, but Dowling says it was likely
worth only a fraction of that amount.

Arguing his clients are "unsophisticated individuals" who were duped
into becoming involved in the drug operation during a period of
desperation, Dowling noted Ly was co-operative with police and
admitted full involvement early in the court process.

He said she couldn't identify the principal player in the operation
because she knew him only by a Vietnamese name translating to "No. 2"
or "Big Brother."

Both sides agree damage to the home and the stolen utilities will need
to be addressed in sentencing, and the money the couple received for
its involvement will have to be relinquished as proceeds of crime.

Judge Janet McMurtry reserved her decision on sentencing until Dec.
19.