Judge denies Bloomfield woman’s plea for house arrest
Despite a flood of tears and a personal plea for house arrest, a Bloomfield woman was sentenced to federal prison on Dec. 5 for using a Canada Post Office for drug trafficking.
Bronwyn Barbara Thomas, 24, appeared in provincial court and was handed 30 months in a federal prison. Judge Cameron Gunn also ordered her to register with the federal DNA database and prohibited her from possessing firearms for 10 years.
Thomas pleaded guilty to attempting to possess two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking in connection with an incident on March 2, 2022, at a Canada Post Office in Centreville. She had no prior criminal record.
“I’m not a bad person, I’m scared,” Thomas said before hearing her sentence. “I can do house arrest with drug testing every week if you want.”
Judge Gunn ruled house arrest was “not applicable and not appropriate” due to the gravity and seriousness of the offence and the significant quantity of drugs involved.
“Methamphetamine has become a scourge in this community and across the province,” Gunn said. “It’s important that sentences reflect that.”
The judge said the accused attempted to bring crystal meth into the area for the purpose of trafficking. She was “not the mastermind” of the operation, but evidence showed she had a role in the planning and participated in the commission of the offence.
In referring to her pre-sentence report, Gunn said Thomas had fallen into the drug culture through pro-criminal friends and eventually, drugs took over her life. Meanwhile, she had experienced the loss of friends who died as a result of their drug addiction.
Federal Crown Prosecutor Derek Weaver told the court Thomas was “a pawn in a scheme” to use a Canada Post office for drug trafficking, but she was aware of what she was doing.
“We don’t know if this happened before or for how long,” Weaver stated. “There was an element of sophistication in it.”
Weaver recommended a prison sentence for Thomas between two and three and a half years and requested all items seized during the investigation be forfeited to the crown.
Defence Counsel Alex Carleton suggested his client needed counselling for addiction and mental health issues. Carleton told the court Thomas was struggling with “overwhelming fear and uncertainty” about going to jail. The accused broke into tears when she arrived at court and wept throughout the proceedings.
In the statement of facts presented earlier by the crown, the court heard Thomas was arrested by RCMP going out the door of the Canada Post Office in Centreville on March 2, 2022, with a parcel she received by mail from British Columbia. When she saw the police, she dropped the package to the ground and said the parcel did not belong to her. Police found drug paraphernalia in her vehicle, and her purse and cell phone evidence linked her to a drug transaction.
The parcel addressed to Thomas was identified as suspicious by a post office inspector in Dieppe, and police were notified. Two kilograms of crystal meth were found inside in sealed bags. The meth was confiscated, and a non-controlled substance similar to rock salt was put inside the parcel before it was mailed (as addressed) to Thomas in Centreville. She opened her post office box and retrieved the mail slip for the package marked priority post.
On Nov. 28, Thomas appeared before Judge Gunn for a hearing on her application to withdraw her guilty plea. The judge denied her application and told Thomas her guilty plea would stand. She had four earlier court appearances before the order to proceed with her sentencing was made.
