B.C. man gets 18 months in jail after undercover Mountie delivers Tasers to home
A British Columbia man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after an undercover Mountie delivered a package containing two imported Tasers to a home in the Okanagan.
James Ashley Jerome Cousineau, 44, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon. He told the court he ordered the weapons as a "joke" when he was drunk, according to provincial court Judge Clarke Burnett's sentencing decision on Dec. 13.
The police investigation began after the Canadian Border Services Agency intercepted a package containing two Tasers on Dec. 21, 2021, and alerted the RCMP. The package was addressed to Cousineau at a residence in Naramata, B.C.
Ten days later, the CBSA contacted the Mounties again after two more packages for Cousineau, containing a total of nine Tasers, were identified bound for a residence in Penticton, B.C.
It was then that the RCMP decided to conduct a "controlled delivery" of the first package to the Naramata home.
'ALL THIS FOR A TASER'
On Jan 19, 2022, an undercover officer delivered the package containing two Tasers to the residence. Police had outfitted the package with an alarm to alert officers once the package had been opened.
"Shortly after delivery, the alarm went off indicating the package had been opened," the judge wrote. "Members of the RCMP Emergency Response Team secured the residence pending receipt of a search warrant."
Cousineau, his girlfriend and two other people were found inside the home, according to the court document.
"Man this is crazy," Cousineau said to police who were securing the residence, according to the judge. "All this for a Taser."
A search of the home recovered the two Tasers as well as various guns, including a shotgun, a rifle, a prohibited high-capacity magazine loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, a 9mm pistol and a prohibited .22-calibre Luger rifle fitted with a prohibited silencer, according to the sentencing decision.
At the time of the search, Cousineau was prohibited from possessing any weapons following a "lengthy criminal record" that includes convictions for drug trafficking and assault with a weapon, the judge wrote.
Cousineau's criminal record and weapons prohibitions were cited as aggravating factors at sentencing, as was the apparent planning that went into the purchase of the Tasers.
"This was not a spontaneous offence," the judge wrote. "Mr. Cousineau took steps to seek out and acquire multiple Tasers. He had to acquire them outside of Canada. He arranged three separate shipments of them, addressed to two different addresses."
Cousineau's guilty plea was cited as a mitigating factor, as was his support from community members who "have indicated a willingness to assist in his rehabilitation."
"I am mindful of the fact that I am only sentencing Mr. Cousineau for the offence of possession of the Taser; I am not sentencing him for importing the Tasers or any other offences related to the firearms or other prohibited devices," the judge wrote.
"However, the facts surrounding the acquiring by Mr. Cousineau of the Taser and the presence of the firearms and prohibited devices in the same location where the Taser was discovered are extremely aggravating."
In addition to 18 months imprisonment, Cousineau was ordered to submit a DNA sample and forfeit all the property seized during the police search to the Crown.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to see warm summer, wildfire risks loom for some regions: forecast
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
3 Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah booby trap explosion, media say, as offensive widens
The Gaza health ministry called on Wednesday for ensuring safe pathways for the immediate entry of fuel and medical aid to Rafah and northern Gaza, according to a statement carried by Hamas media quoting spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there's a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.