The Queen vs. The Defendant
Cases for Drug Offences
Cases in 2022
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R. v. H.N.2022
The client was charged with possession of crack cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds (money) obtained by crime exceeding $5000. This matter arose out of a drug investigation that the police had started months prior to the charges being laid. The investigation started on the basis of a police informant giving information to the police. The police then started their investigation with that information. The investigation involved undercover police surveillance and search warrants. The matter was set for a preliminary inquiry where the prosecutor would have to lead some evidence that the client was involved in the two offences. After extensive preparations for the preliminary inquiry with the client, on the date of the preliminary inquiry the prosecutor and I discussed the file. The prosecutor agreed with my assessment of the file and the weaknesses in their case, and ultimately agreed to fully dropping both charges. The client was left without a criminal record and without a conviction. If the client had been convicted of the offences he would have faced two years or more in jail.
Cases in 2021
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R. v. J.S.2021
The client was charged with trafficking cocaine to an undercover officer, and having in their possession proceeds of crime. Originally the prosecutor only offered a plea to a lengthy term of imprisonment. However, after many months of negotiations, I was able to convince the prosecutor to agree to a plea to only the possession of proceeds of crime for no jail! The client was very pleased with the result. If convicted the client was facing a lengthy term of jail.
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R. v. A.E.2021
The client was charged with possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of a prohibited weapon (baton) along with multiple traffic tickets. The client was stopped in a vehicle and the police searched it. I reviewed the disclosure and determined there were issues with the validity of the traffic stop i.e. the police did not have the grounds to stop the vehicle. The crown prosecutor agreed when I met with them, and I had all of the criminal and drug charges dropped, leaving the client with no criminal record and no convictions.
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R. v. M.V.2021
The client was charged with offences under the Cannabis Act including possessing and producing cannabis with the intention to sell or distribute it. After a thorough review of the extensive disclosure (the evidence the police had gathered), I determined that there was no evidence of knowledge, consent or control over the drugs. That is, the crown would not be able to prove possession. With that, the crown agreed to drop the charges against the client. This left the client without a conviction.
Cases in 2020
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R. v. P.R.2020
The client was charged with simple possession of a controlled substance arising out of a traffic stop. There were two people in the vehicle at the time. Upon reviewing disclosure it was clear that the crown could not prove the possession charge against my client. The client had no knowledge or control over the drugs in the vehicle, and with that the crown could not prove the possession charge. The client would have faced immigration issues with a conviction. This was the best possible outcome for the client as it left the client with no conviction and no criminal record.
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R. v. R.P2020
The client was charged with trafficking. It was an indictable matter. He pleaded not guilty and the matter was set for a preliminary hearing, to be followed by a trial with a Court of Queen's Bench judge sitting alone. On the day of the prelim, counsel had discussions, which resulted in the client re-electing to be tried by a provincial court judge. The crown amended the charge to simple possession and proceeded summarily. The client pleaded guilty to this amended charge and received a 12 month conditional discharge.
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R. v. R.P2020
The client was charged with trafficking. It was an indictable matter. He pleaded not guilty and the matter was set for a preliminary hearing, to be followed by a trial with a Court of Queen's Bench judge sitting alone. On the day of the prelim, counsel had discussions, which resulted in the client re-electing to be tried by a provincial court judge. The crown amended the charge to simple possession and proceeded summarily. The client pleaded guilty to this amended charge and received a 12 month conditional discharge.
Cases in 2019
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R. v. J.R.2019
The client was charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling. After discussions with the crown, they agreed to refer the matter to alternative measures. Once the client had successfully completed the required community service hours, the charge against him was withdrawn.
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R. v. J.R.2019
The client was charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling. After discussions with the crown, they agreed to refer the matter to alternative measures. Once the client had successfully completed the required community service hours, the charge against him was withdrawn.
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R. v. T.H.2019
The client was charged with possession of drugs, trafficking drugs (cocaine), possession of property obtained by crime over $5000.00, and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon. The client pleaded not guilty and the matter was set down for a preliminary hearing. After the hearing, the judge decided there was enough evidence to proceed to trial, though only on the trafficking drugs and possession of property charges. The matter was set down for a three-day trial in Queen's Bench. On the day of trial, I secured my client a resolution that would leave him with very little jail time considering the nature of the allegations.
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R. v. B.S.2019
The client was charged with three counts of possession of drugs (morphine and cocaine) and two counts of failing to comply with conditions of release (bail). He pleaded guilty to two of the possession of drugs charges. The third possession of drugs charge was dropped, as were both of the failures to comply with release. The client received a suspended sentence and a probation for a period of one year.
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R. v. T.T.2019
The client was charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine and possession of property obtained by crime over $5000.00. The file involved a lengthy investigation that resulted in more than one person being charged. After I conducted a thorough review of the evidence, I approached the crown to try to resolve the charges by way of having them dropped against my client. The crown agreed with my assessment, and all of the drug charges including the trafficking cocaine and possession of property obtained by crime were dropped. My client was left with no criminal record and no convictions.
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R. v. K.J.2019
The client was charged with possession of a controlled substance, thought to be cocaine. Upon my review of disclosure, including the returned drug analysis certificate, it was clear that no offence had been committed as the substance was not cocaine. The charge was therefore dropped, and my client was left with no criminal record and no conviction.
Cases in 2018
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R. v. L.W.2018
The client was charged with possession of drugs (methamphetamine), two counts of possession of stolen property under $5000.00, and four counts of failing to comply with release conditions (bail). The client elected to plead guilty to the possession of drugs and possession of stolen property under $5000.00. The client was sentenced to time served. The remaining charges against the client were dropped.
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R. v. D.L.2018
The client was charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine, and possession of property obtained by crime. This was a dial-a-dope drug investigation file. The police initiated the investigation due to informant information, and then started conducting surveillance. After a lengthy investigation, the police charged my client. I reviewed the disclosure and determined that there were a number of triable issues. The client elected to have a trial at the Court of Queen's Bench sitting with a judge alone, and to have a preliminary inquiry at the Provincial Court. A trial I argued that the police violated my client's rights pursuant to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that the evidence should be excluded on that basis. In the alternative, I argued that the crown was unable to prove possession beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge agreed with my arguments and the client was found not guilty of all charges, trafficking cocaine and possession of property obtained by crime. My client was left with no criminal record and no conviction.
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R. v. D.M.2018
The client was charged with three counts of trafficking drugs (cocaine) and possession of property obtained by crime under $5000.00. The police had conducted a lengthy investigation and were looking to prosecute both my client and the co-accused. On the basis of my review of the disclosure, I approached the crown prosecutor to discuss having the charges against my client withdrawn entirely. I was of the view that the crown would not be in a position to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecutor agreed, and all charges were dropped. My client was left with no criminal record and no conviction.
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R. v. J.H.2018
The client was charged with possession of drugs (marihuana). The crown agreed to refer the matter to the Alternative Measures Program. Once the client completed the requirements of the program, the charge of possession of drugs was withdrawn.
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R. v. K.K.2018
The client was charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of body armor. The charges were laid after a complex drug investigation. Upon receiving disclosure, I determined that there was likely no basis for the crown to continue with the prosecution against the client. On that basis, I approached the crown to ask them to consider dropping all of the charges. The crown agreed, and all charges were dropped. The matter was concluded successfully so that the client did not have to face potential immigration issues.
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R. v. E.K.2018
The client was charged with possession of drugs in an amount that normally would exceed the qualifications for the Alternative Measures Program. Despite that, after meeting with the crown to encourage resolution by way of diversion, the crown finally agreed. The client was tasked with completing community service hours, and upon doing so, the charge was dropped. If the client had received a conviction, the client would have lost their employment.
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R. v. J.E.2018
The client was charged with possession of drugs after a lengthy police investigation regarding a co-accused. Upon reviewing disclosure, it was apparent that there was no evidence to support the prosecution. After approaching the crown to resolve the matter, they agreed to do so, and the charge was withdrawn.
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R. v. N.T.2018
The client was charged with four counts of trafficking and a further count of possessing body armor. The crown initially sought the client's detention. However, I was able to negotiate the client's consent release on conditions.
Cases in 2017
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R. v. K.L.2017
The client was charged with possession of drugs (marihuana). The client had been in a vehicle with several other people. I reviewed the file and determined that some of the evidence (disclosure) was missing. I made a request for the disclosure. The crown was unable to produce the disclosure, and as such, I convinced the crown to withdraw the charge.
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R. v. C.N.2017
The client was charged with drug related offences: possession and production of hash oil. Ms. Karpa reviewed the file and determined that there were issues with the crown's case. The crown agreed to refer the matter to alternative measures, and upon successful completion of the program, the charges were withdrawn.
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R. v. C.V.2017
The client was charged with trafficking and possession of drugs. There were multiple issues with the investigation that Ms. Karpa determined. Ms. Karpa convinced the crown to agree to a plea to a reduced charge of simple possession. Ms. Karpa was able to convince the court to grant the client an absolute discharge. No conviction.
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R. v. A.B.2017
The client was charged with production of a substance and possession (drugs). Ms. Karpa reviewed the file in depth and realized that there was significant outstanding disclosure. Ms. Karpa made several requests over the course of several months, but the investigators did not produce the disclosure to the crown. The crown therefore agreed to withdraw all charges. This would have been a serious matter with serious consequences for the client. No conviction. No criminal record.
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R. v. J.J.2017
The client was charged with possession of drugs, obstructing/resisting arrest and escaping custody while he was still a youth. The following year he was charged with a failure to appear. Ms. Karpa convinced the crown to withdraw all charges against the client.
Cases in 2016
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R. v. G.B.2016
The client was charged with possession of drugs (marijuana) and failing to comply with conditions. The client plead guilty to failing to comply and the drug charge was withdrawn. The crown initially sought a fine with a conviction entered. Ms. Karpa was able to convince the crown to agree to a conditional discharge, despite the client having a related record.
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R. v. A.K.2016
The client was initially charged with one count of trafficking and one count of importing and exporting drugs. Following that they subsequently sustained a failure to comply and a failure to appear charge. The crown eventually proceeded with a new indictment for trafficking only. The client plead guilty to this charge and received a jail sentence well below the appropriate range, as well as a fine. The other charges against her were withdrawn.
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R. v. D.R.2016
The client was charged with possession of drugs (marijuana). Ms. Karpa had the charge withdrawn. No criminal record/no criminal conviction.
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R. v. K.J.2016
The client was charged with trafficking drugs (cocaine and marijuana), possession of a weapon (knife), and assault with a weapon (knife). Initially the crown wanted a jail sentence for guilty pleas to all counts. Instead, Ms. Karpa successfully argued for a term of probation. No jail.
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R. v. D.D.2016
The client was charged with trafficking drugs and possession of proceeds of crime. The crown stayed the charge due do their being no reasonable likelihood of conviction.
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R. v. M.T.2016
The client was charged with possession of drugs (marijuana). Ms. Karpa had the charge withdrawn. No criminal conviction/no criminal record.
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R. v. A.M.2016
The client was charged with possession of marijuana. Based upon her negotiations with the Crown, Ms. Karpa was successful in having the charge against the client withdrawn. No criminal record. No conviction.
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R. v. O.R.2016
The client was charged with breaching a conditional sentence order in relation to possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking (marijuana). Ms. Karpa argued the client should not face any jail time, and was successful in her argument. Client avoided jail.
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R. v. C.P.2016
The client was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of marihuana for the purpose of trafficking. Ms. Karpa reviewed the file and determined that there were serious issues with the crown's case I including multiple breaches of the client's rights. Based upon that, Ms. Karpa was successful in having all of the charges against the client withdrawn. No criminal record. No conviction.
Cases in 2015
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R. v. C.M.2015
The client was charged with possession of drugs (marijuana). The Crown sought to have the client convicted with a criminal record. The client would have had issues with a conviction and employment. Ms. Karpa vigorously argued for a conditional discharge. The client received the discharge so there would be no issues with the client's employment.
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R. v. S.I.2015
The client was charged with trafficking a narcotic (fentanyl). The client faced serious jail time. Ms. Karpa convinced the prosecution to agree to a plea to a simple possession of drugs for a fine.
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R. v. J.G.2015
The client was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking meth. Ms. Karpa convinced the crown to agree to a plea to a reduced charge of simple possession for a fine.
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R. v. C.B.2015
The client was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking drugs (marihuana). Ms. Karpa had the charger reduced to simple possession of marihuana for a conditional discharge.
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R. v. D.P.2015
The client was charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking (marihuana), proceeds of crime, and obstructing a police officer. Ms. Karpa secured a reduction in the charge to simple possession of marihuana (contrary to section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act) for an absolute discharge. No conviction entered. All other charges were withdrawn.
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R. v. J.M.2015
The client was charged with possession of crack cocaine. After a review of the file, Ms. Karpa determined that the client's rights had been violated and an illegal search and seizure was conducted by the police. On that basis, Ms. Karpa convinced the Crown to drop the charge. No conviction. No criminal record.
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R. v. J.H.2015
After a lengthy drug investigation involving co-accused, the client was charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine) (section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act), and being in possession of proceeds of crime. Ms. Karpa thoroughly reviewed the file, and determined that there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction against the client. Ms. Karpa convicted the Crown to drop all of the charges against the client. No conviction. No criminal record.
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R. v. O.R.2015
The client was charged with possession of marihuana for the purpose of trafficking. The case involved an allegation of being in possession of almost 20 pounds of the controlled substance. The client was facing potential penitentiary jail time. However, with her client's instructions, Ms. Karpa secured a plea for a 9 month conditional sentence order. The client would not see the inside of a jail.
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R. v. O.M.2015
The client was charged with drug related offences. Ms. Karpa had all charges against the client stayed/dropped. No conviction/no record.
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R. v. K.P.2015
The client was charged with possession of the purpose of trafficking (cocaine and marihuana), possession of weapons, breaches of release conditions and simple possession of drugs. Ms. Karpa had the charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking reduced to simple possession, and had other charges including impaired driving all dropped. The client received small fines as a sentence.
Cases in 2014
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R. v. J.F.2014
The client faced charges of speeding (50+ km over the limit) and possession large quantity of marihuana (possession pursuant to section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act). Ms. Karpa had the speeding allegation reduced significantly to avoid excessive demerits, and possession of marihuana withdrawn after completion of diversion. No criminal record. No criminal conviction.
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R. v. K.H.2014
The client charged with possession of marihuana (section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act). There were aggravating circumstances surrounding the allegation. However, Ms. Karpa convinced the prosecution to permit the client to enter into a diversion program. After successful completion of the program the charge was dropped.
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R. v. R.M.2014
The client was charged with possession of drugs (marihuana) in relation to a search of a vehicle, and failing to appear. Calgary criminal lawyer Susan Karpa had both sets of charges against the client dropped. No conviction, no criminal record.
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R. v. B.M.2014
The client was charged with proceeds of crime in relation to a drug investigation. Ms. Karpa reviewed the file in depth, and concluded that the police had conducted an illegal search and seizure. On that basis, Calgary criminal lawyer Susan Karpa approached the Crown to persuade them to withdraw the charge. Ms. Karpa was successful, and the charge against her client was withdrawn. No conviction. No criminal record.
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R. v. G.C.2014
Client was charged with several counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine and marihuana). Ms. Karpa was able to have those charges dropped. The client plead guilty to one count of simple possession of marihuana for a small fine.
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R. v. D.C.2014
Calgary criminal lawyer Susan Karpa argued for her client's release on charges of a substantial quantity of a controlled substance, despite the client's prior related record. The client was released on low cash bail.
Cases in 2013
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R. v. D.T.2013
Ms. Karpa secured her client's release for a possession for the purpose of trafficking charge even though he had a prior related conviction on his record.
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R. v. A.D.2013
Client was charged with possession of cocaine. Ms. Karpa got the charge against her client dropped.
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R. v. A.S2013
Client was charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Crown dropped charges down to simple possession/personal use.
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R. v. C.P2013
Client was charged with possession of marijuana. Charges withdrawn.
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R. v. D.T.2013
Ms. Karpa secured her client's release for a possession for the purpose of trafficking charge even though he had a prior related conviction on his record.
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