[Dr Dog]

Jail for slow driver caught with trunk full of marijuana

EDMONTON -- An Edmonton man busted with a million dollars' worth of marijuana after being pulled over for driving too slow on the highway near Edson was put behind bars yesterday.

Thanh Tam Vo, 55, was sentenced to 28 months in prison after earlier being convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Adam Germain rejected a defence bid for a conditional sentence to be served in the community, saying the "significant" amount and street value of the seized marijuana was aggravating.

The judge also found it aggravating that Vo has a university degree from Vietnam -- a country he noted was strict on drug offences -- and the crime was carried out for money.

"For the crime that you have been convicted of, I now sentence you to 28 months in a federal penitentiary," said Germain, who also prohibited Vo, a first-time offender, from possessing firearms for 10 years.

Court heard Vo was pulled over by an RCMP officer on Highway 16 just east of Edson on Dec. 9, 2007, because he was driving a Toyota Avalon in a "suspicious manner."

Germain recounted that Vo had been going significantly below the speed limit and was driving near the side of the road, and the arresting officer had initially felt he was dealing with a possible drunk driver.

After noticing the car's spare tire and jack were inside the vehicle, along with a gasoline container, the officer deduced something could be in the trunk and called for a police dog to be brought to the scene.

A positive response by the canine cop led to officers finding the trunk packed with 71 kg of marijuana enclosed in 169 vacuum-sealed bags with an approximate street value of more than a million dollars.

Defence lawyer Dan Chivers told court that Vo is not a big player in the illicit drug business and said he was simply acting as a courier for a $5,000 payment.

Court heard Highway 16 is a commonly used route to transport drugs from Vancouver to the Prairies