The SA国际影视传媒渢ragic and difficultSA国际影视传媒� circumstances of Travis King's early life were precursors to his inevitable first stop in Canada's criminal justice system, said Justice Karan Shaner as she handed down a trafficking sentence Monday.

King, 21, was found guilty of possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking in Supreme Court and will serve two years less a day plus two years of probation to be served locally.

Crown prosecutors Brendan Green and Martha Chertkow suggested a sentence of three years, while defence lawyer Peter Harte recommended his client serve 18 months minus six and a half months already served in pre-trial custody.

In balancing the goals of deterring drug trafficking, the judge referenced a decision by Justice Louise Charbonneau which states trafficking wreaks havoc on Northern communities and should have SA国际影视传媒渟erious penalties.SA国际影视传媒�

Shaner sentenced King to 30 months, less the six and a half months served in pretrial custody.

King was apprehended by social services twice as a child and drifted from home to home and with his mother who lost her home to addiction.

SA国际影视传媒淔rankly, I am surprised that this is your first stop,SA国际影视传媒� said Shaner.

On May 27, 2016 King was arrested for obstruction of justice. Mounties pulled over a vehicle near Enterprise.

King was brought to the Hay River detachment where he was strip searched. Mounties found 111 grams of cocaine on his person.

Harte challenged the legality of this strip search, but the court ultimately found it to be lawful.

Shaner, in her decision, spoke of the need for atonement for the pain trafficking inflicts on Northern communities and the social circumstances that led King into crime and the system.

King, hair neatly cut, rose promptly when asked to stand by the judge.

In her decision, Shaner said King is an Indigenous man who comes to the court with SA国际影视传媒渁dverseSA国际影视传媒� circumstances.

SA国际影视传媒淚t never gets any less heartbreaking," she said.

He did not have a SA国际影视传媒渞eliable or safe homeSA国际影视传媒� and SA国际影视传媒渉as had no parental guidance in his relatively short life,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

King had no relationship with his father and was raised by a single mother in the throes of addiction and homelessness.

He bounced from home to home, sometimes living with relatives in Saskatchewan, and at one point with his grandmother who died when King was 11 years old.

His home life was SA国际影视传媒渦nstable and chaotic,SA国际影视传媒� said Shaner.

He spent time in group homes, which King himself described as an SA国际影视传媒渦npleasant experienceSA国际影视传媒� and lived with an uncle who emotionally abused him.

He soon moved back in with his mother and when she lost her housing, he tried to survive on the streets.

King relied on friends for food, quit school and while living with a cousin at age 18 in Saskatchewan, began selling coke.

King made $600 weekly.

SA国际影视传媒淗e did this so he could make ends meet,SA国际影视传媒� said Shaner, adding penalties for trafficking must be firm.

SA国际影视传媒淭he North is a very tempting market for traffickers," she said. SA国际影视传媒淐ocaine causes ravages and devastation in our communities."

People often lose everything, and tangential crimes including robbery and petty theft proliferate. Cocaine woes routinely appear in family court, she said.

Cocaine in Canada runs approximately $100 per gram, putting the estimated street value of the drugs on his person at $11,000.

King is young with SA国际影视传媒渟trong prospects for rehabilitation,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

In his arguments, lawyer Peter Harte referenced a University of Toronto study that showed harsher sentences and mandatory minimums do little for deterrence.

Shaner rejected the argument against mandatory minimums, stating that the courts cannot change federal policies or legislation, nor can it SA国际影视传媒渃ompensate for the failures of social policy.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淭he tools that I have to work with are prison or probation,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

The Gladue principle, where an Indigenous person's experiences with systemic racism and overrepresentation in the courts must be considered in sentencing, is relevant to King's case, she said.

The Crown secured a 10-year firearms prohibition against King, and an order to collect DNA to be submitted to the national registry.

Many Indigenous offenders find themselves in situations of economic or social SA国际影视传媒渄eprivation,SA国际影视传媒� said Shaner.

At the end of the sentencing, Shaner spoke directly to King, stating that she hoped his period of custody and probation would provide SA国际影视传媒渟tructure and guidanceSA国际影视传媒� and an opportunity for him to rehabilitate himself and access counselling services and reconcile his past.

SA国际影视传媒淐hoose wisely ... take responsibility for your life. Get housing, get training, get a job,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Otherwise, SA国际影视传媒渋t's going to become a revolving door. And it's never going to stop.SA国际影视传媒�