A Yellowknife man who sold and transported cocaine as a SA国际影视传媒渢rustedSA国际影视传媒� member in a high level trafficking network was handed a 36 month jail sentence last week.

Devon Herback, 36, embraced family in NWT Supreme Court Friday after being sentenced by Justice Shannon Smallwood on one count of trafficking in cocaine, a charge he pleaded guilty to last year.

Under the direction of Norman Hache SA国际影视传媒� the leader of a sophisticated drug ring that brought large quantities of cocaine into the territory from Calgary SA国际影视传媒� Herback doubled as both a street-level dealer in Yellowknife and as a SA国际影视传媒渞unner,SA国际影视传媒� delivering cocaine to neighboring communities in NWT.

Herback was actively involved in the network from February to April of 2016.

Hache, who supplied Herback with cocaine, received a five -year prison sentence in August.

Herback transported cocaine in quantities SA国际影视传媒渟ufficient to supply street level traffickersSA国际影视传媒� within the drug ring, according a statement of facts summarized in court during the sentencing hearing.

But that wasn't his only role within the network.

Herback was also one of three dial-a-dope phone operators, fielding calls from drug users attempting to buy cocaine and crack, and making street-level sales himself. Several ounces of cocaine a day were sold through the phone operation, which ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In late February 2016, Yellowknife 's Federal Investigation Unit began monitoring the communications of Herback and others as part of SA国际影视传媒淧roject Green Manalishi,SA国际影视传媒� leading to the interception of several incriminating calls and texts.

On March 11 2016, undercover officers bought $320 worth of crack cocaine from Herback behind the Kilt and Castle Pub on 49 Street. Officers arranged the deal by calling a number linked to the dial-a-dope phone operated by Herback SA国际影视传媒� 867-444-HARD.

SA国际影视传媒淗ardSA国际影视传媒� is slang commonly used for crack cocaine.

continued to monitor Herback, and between March 15 and 16, 2016, officers performed surveillance on his vehicle as it travelled from Yellowknife to Fort Resolution, en route to deliver cocaine to a residence.

Once at the residence, police moved in, arresting Herback as he sat in a truck parked in the driveway. Lying on the ground beside the truck were 362.5 grams of cocaine. A large folding knife, a digital scale and $5,980 were found in Herback's possession, while a search of the home resulted in the seizure of $8,040 and lists or SA国际影视传媒渟core sheetsSA国际影视传媒� detailing outstanding drug debts.

With the 's sweeping probe into high level drug trafficking still active, Herback was released not long after his arrest in order not to compromise SA国际影视传媒淧roject Green Manalishi.SA国际影视传媒�

But Herback's arrest didn't spell an end for his involvement in the network.

Herback resumed his duties as a dial-a-dope operator, selling eight to nine ounces of cocaine a day from April 4 to April 13, 2016. According to the agreed statement of facts, Herback's return as a phone operator came after the arrest of a SA国际影视传媒渞ival groupSA国际影视传媒� of drug traffickers on April 4, 2016.

On that day, Todd Dube SA国际影视传媒� described by prosecutors as the SA国际影视传媒渒ing pinSA国际影视传媒� of a separate drug operation in the city SA国际影视传媒� was arrested.

Traffickers within Dube's network also operated a 24-7 phone line for the sale of crack cocaine.

Dube was sentenced to nine years in prison in October.

On April 14, 2016, arrested Hache and several other co-conspirators. Herback turned himself into police two days later.

Calling Herback a SA国际影视传媒渢rustedSA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒渕iddlemanSA国际影视传媒� in an operation that saw SA国际影视传媒渨holesaleSA国际影视传媒� amounts of cocaine enter Yellowknife and the territory, Justice Smallwood stressed the SA国际影视传媒渄evastating effectsSA国际影视传媒� of the drug before rendering her decision.

With credit for time already served in custody, Herback will spend 33 months behind bars. Herback's lawyer, Jay Bran, had asked for a term of 20 to 24 months, while the Crown sought a three-year sentence.