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A Kelowna woman was sentenced 6 years and nine months of jail time in an Okanagan courtroom on Tuesday for importing the largest quantity of cocaine ever uncovered by Kootenay RCMP.
Caitlin Gladdish was 26-years-old at the time of the offence, which took place at the Canada-U.S. border near Trail on July 26th, 2014.
Gladdish, who is now 27-years-old, pleaded guilty to the offence and stood before Judge James Threlfall to receive her sentence for importing more than 35 kilograms of cocaine at the Waneta Port of Entry. Crown prosecutor Mandana Namazi asked judge Threlfall to consider handing down a sentence in the range of seven to eight years. While defence lawyer Robert Dick was seeking a sentence of five to six years.
Namazi pointed to six aggregative factors in the case, including the substance in which was illegally imported, the quantity of the drug in Gladdish’s possession; the sophisticated method of concealment used to transport the cocaine over the border, the amount of planning that went into the crime, the fact that Gladdish had the connections available to commit the crime, and that greed was a motivation.
But Dick disagreed with these factors, stating that Gladdish did not plan the crime, she was simply approached by a friend of a friend to do the deal. Dick says that Gladdish worked as a waitress and in coffee shops prior to the bust and therefore was making little money. She dropped out of high school at the age of 17, and that coupled with the low paying jobs, she was getting into financial distress.
Gladdish’s attorney also pointed to her upbringing, stating that her parents divorced when she was very young and she hopped from home to home, in Trail and Edmonton. She was self-diagnosed with depression and was “too proud to ask for help.”
But Namazi did not accept these as mitigating factors for the crime, stating that she used a vehicle with an “extremely high calibre” of hidden compartments in the trunk. A white Jetta, which was owned and insured in Gladdish’s name. Expert witnesses estimated that the secret compartment, which held around $2.1 million in cocaine at the time of the arrest, cost around $10,000 to install.
Dick countered with the fact that Gladdish was simply a runner in this situation and had no part of the planning process, which included installing the modifications. Mitigating factors the judge was asked to consider included, that Gladdish had no prior record, she is still young and the prospect of rehabilitation is great, and she entered a guilty plea early on, taking responsibility for the crime.
Judge Threlfall handed down a sentence somewhere in between the respective requests of the crown and defence lawyers.
“Given Ms. Gladdish's age, her guilty plea, acceptance of responsibility, and excellent prospects for rehabilitation, I have concluded that a sentence of six years, nine months is appropriate," added Threlfall.
Several close friends and family members of Gladdish were at court on Tuesday to hear the sentencing, and there was a lot of tears and saddened faces as Judge Threlfall read out his verdict.
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