A Surrey man who ran a busy dial-a-dope operation in Langley in 2008 will spend four years behind bars for his crimes.
Barrett Jordan, 27, was sentenced to four years in jail, a forfeiture of crime proceeds, a lifetime firearms ban, DNA order and $100 victims surcharge in Supreme Court in New Westminster on Friday.
In a trial that took place last winter, he faced numerous trafficking and possession charges related to the dial-a-dope operation. His girlfriend, Kristina Gaudet, 23, faced similar charges and went to trial. The charges against her were stayed on Friday.
Between March 12, 2008 and Dec. 17, 2008, the Langley RCMP investigated a dial-a-dope operation selling heroin and cocaine in Langley and Surrey.
In the trial, Crown alleged that Jordan was running the operation.
In particular, the Crown alleged that he was responsible for the phone line on which orders were placed, and that he employed others and supplied them with drugs to deliver to the buyers.
The Crown contends that between May 6 and Dec. 10, 2008, undercover police officers purchased cocaine on six separate occasions by calling a cellphone number associated with Jordan.
On Dec. 17, 2008, the police executed a search warrant at an apartment on 68 Avenue in Surrey. The Crown contends that the apartment was the residence of Jordan and Gaudet.
Among other things, the police seized 42.3 grams of heroin, 1,463.5 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine, $6,640 in cash, and what is alleged to be a “shift calendar” for the dial-a-dope line.
Jordan and Gaudet were arrested the same day. Court documents indicate the couple had been together for more than four years.
On Dec. 24, 2008, the charges against Jordan were expanded, including the contention that he was the controlling figure behind the dial-a-dope operation.
In February 2009, 10 people were charged with offences relating to possession and trafficking of cocaine and heroin, relating to the dial-a-dope line. For those found guilty, sentences averaged about 10 months in jail.
The arrests and charges came at a time when a drug turf war was exploding in Langley. The turf war resulted in at least two drug-related murders in March 2009, of Laura Lamoureux and Marc Bontkes.
Both were believed to be ripping off dial-a-dope operations, according to court testimony.
In December 2012, a Supreme Court judge dismissed the Surrey couple’s application to have their criminal charges dropped based on their right to a timely trial.
The pair argued the four years it has taken for their cases to go to trial is unjust. Their appeal was denied. In the appeal, Gaudet contended that the delay has held her back from pursuing a career in accounting.
