Fort Resolution man sentenced to 2 years for drug trafficking

A Fort Resolution man was sentenced Friday to two years in jail and 18 months of probation for drug trafficking. 

Andrew Norn pleaded guilty to the possession of crack cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. 

According to the agreed statement of facts from the Crown and defence, on Jan. 23, 2024 Norn's vehicle encountered an RCMP traffic stop between Behchokǫ̀ and Yellowknife.

After searching the car, police found 740 grams of cocaine which has an estimated value of $74,000 to $88,800, an unloaded hand gun and a high-capacity magazine.

Norn was aware of the cocaine in his vehicle but didn’t have knowledge of the gun. 

Both Norn and another person in the car were arrested at the scene. Norn refused to get out of the vehicle and so the RCMP forced entry through the car’s window to get to him. 

The other occupant of the vehicle still faces charges that are before the courts. 

In a joint submission with the defence Friday, Crown lawyers said Norn acted as a courier, but there was no evidence he played any role besides transporting the cocaine.

The Crown also said Norn's own addiction and desire for social connection lead to his involvement in the offences.

The Crown and defence both asked that the sentence also require Norn to report to his probation officer two days after his release and that he should attend counseling as directed by his probation officer. Judge Robert Gorin agreed.

In his decision, Gorin said that Norn’s actions were “incredibly destructive for the people of the N.W.T.” and that the effects of drug trafficking in the territory are “devastating, particularly in smaller communities." 

The judge said Norn’s guilty plea, a lack of a previous criminal record and tragedies that occurred in his life that lead to drug use were all mitigating factors in his decision. 

Norn has been undergoing treatment for his addiction and has plans to seek further rehabilitation in Toronto upon release. 

Norn has approximately seven and a half months left on his sentence after credit for time already served.

He will also have his DNA stored in a national data bank and is under a 10-year firearms ban.