Share

Man who sought drugs smuggled by sled to be sentenced

Share

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — A North Carolina man who court documents say imported drugs from Canada “utilizing the dark web” was sentenced Wednesday to spend two more days in jail for plotting to steal a shipment of counterfeit Xanax pills valued at $1.6 million that were pulled across the Vermont-Quebec border on a sled.

Yazid Al Fayyad Finn, of Cary, North Carolina, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Rutland to time served since his February 2018 arrest, plus two days.

The hourlong sentencing hearing focused on Finn’s efforts to leave a past of substance abuse and drug-dealing behind him.

Nothing was said about the origin of the shipment of pills or its intended destination in the United States. But there were hints of a cross-border smuggling operation that U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford referred to as “an interactive computer service” without offering any additional information in open court.

Prosecutors say Finn traveled to Vermont in January 2016 from North Carolina planning to steal almost 200 pounds (91 kilograms) of pills that had been dragged across the border at night on a sled by a Quebec man dressed in white who was apprehended by Border Patrol agents.

Trending:
Prince Harry Named in Major Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Rapper

Documents filed at the time of his arrest said Finn was involved in the distribution of Xanax in North Carolina and he sold the pills for $3 to $5.

In court, Finn, who pleaded guilty last summer to a charge of conspiracy to possess drugs and a gun charge from North Carolina, told Crawford that he had been sober for 405 days and that he was eager to improve his life.

“I stand before you accepting every iota of responsibility,” Finn said.

His defense attorney, Thomas Scherer, and Finn’s family declined comment after the hearing.

A heavily redacted sentencing memo filed by Scherer described Finn as a “shy, introverted geek (who) morphed into somebody importing drugs from Canada utilizing the dark web.”

The memo said Finn “was just starting the importation of counterfeit Alprazolam (Xanax) and was trying to increase dramatically the number of pill imported by this smuggling charge.”

Cedrik Bourgault-Morin, then 21, of Quebec, was wearing white in the early morning hours of Jan. 13, 2016, when U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended him after he had pulled the sled containing 300 vacuum-sealed bags of Xanax into the United States along a railroad line at North Troy, Vermont.

Bourgault-Morin was later sentenced to a year and a day in jail. He was released in November 2016.

Crawford said Finn was clearly trying to improve his life, but he warned him not to appear before a federal judge again.

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

Prosecutors had asked Crawford to sentence Finn to between 72 and 78 months in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher declined comment after the hearing.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation