A Yorkton woman has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl.
Dorothy O鈥橠ell (56) appeared at the Yorkton Provincial Court on May 11 to received her sentence.
O鈥橠ell mailed eight patches of fentanyl to her daughter. Police intercepted the package and arrested O鈥橠ell.
O鈥橠ell wrote a note to her daughter with the package which included the word 鈥渟ell鈥� and 鈥�$180.鈥� O鈥橠ell claimed she meant to write 鈥渟end鈥� instead of 鈥渟ell.鈥� She said she intended to encourage her daughter to send back $180 for the patches.
鈥淚 am not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt [that she intended to sell the fentanyl],鈥� said the judge during the sentecning.
O鈥橠ell obtained the fentanyl patches through a prescription for her sore knees and by taking some from a friend.
When the judge explained his sentencing decision, he cited the Gladue report as an important factor. A Gladue report takes an Aboriginal person鈥檚 history and background into account before a sentence is passed. Since O鈥橠ell has an Aboriginal background, she qualified for the Gladue report.
鈥淪entencing is not an exact science,鈥� the judge said. 鈥淚 am left with a myriad of factors.
鈥淎ny prison sentence will be a serious blow.鈥�
The judge highlighted O鈥橠ell鈥檚 life struggles and the serious public problems fentanyl poses before he passed his sentence of 10 months.聽
