Donald Lyons, a high-level cocaine trafficker tied to the Independent Soldiers street gang.

Lyons was caught on secret video and audiotape giving a kilogram of cocaine to career criminal turned secret agent Scotty "Taz" Robertson during a meeting inside a Kelowna hotel room. He was also implicated in various phone taps against other accused as being a major supplier of cocaine to Manitoba.His carefree world came crashing down 15 months ago in an undercover Winnipeg police sting. Now he’s lost everything - his pricey properties, his possessions and his freedom. Lyons, 36, was sentenced Friday to eight and a half years in prison under a joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers. He gets double-time credit for his pre-trial custody, leaving him with another six years behind bars. He also agreed to pay a $26,000 fine and forfeit $75,000 in property, including a Cadillac Escalade seized by police.
"Individuals like Mr. Lyons cause irreparable harm to the community," federal prosecutor Chris Mainella told court Friday. He said a message needs to be sent that Manitoba "is not a friendly place for drug traffickers."Lyons is the 15th accused from "Project Drill" to plead guilty and be sentenced. Only three others who were arrested in December 2007 remain before the courts. Mainella said the Independent Soldiers only began to emerge in Canada in 2004 but have grown to several hundred members in B.C. and Alberta. They are aligned with the Hells Angels, and Lyons was good friend with Kelowna Hells chapter vice-president Lester Jones, who has already admitted to his role in Project Drill."They look after me, I look after them," Jones was overheard on a phone tap telling an associate about his relationship with Lyons and the Independent Soldiers.Police lured Lyons and Jones into a trap by having the agent come to them on the guise the cocaine currently being supplied to Manitoba dealers was of poor quality. Jones bragged that he could easily fix that, bragging that B.C. cocaine was "(expletive) mint", court was told.However, Jones arranged one shipment to the agent in which the drugs were only about 14 per cent pure. Police had the agent fly to B.C. to confront Jones about the extreme diluting. Jones promised to take care of the problem, and got Lyons to meet with the agent and provide a new kilogram which was 97 per cent pure, court was told.Defence lawyer Josh Weinstein said his client isn’t a lost cause and has many redeeming qualities, including a three-year-old stepson he loves dearly.
"I’m sorry to everyone for my crime and everyone it’s affected. I’m aware of all the people I’ve let down. I’m thankful to get a second chance," Lyons said in a brief statement to the court Friday. Queen’s Bench Justice John Scurfield said it’s clear Lyons had a "trusted" role within organized crime and was able to live a "lavish life" thanks to drug profits.Lyons has not put all his legal troubles behind him. He’s still facing weapons charges in B.C. after police found 19 guns, a grenade and two Tasers hidden in a safe under a staircase during a search of his $1.2 million Kelowna rental home. Lyons was actually arrested by police at his other property - a condo in Vancouver which Mainella told court cost "seven figures."

Scott Rozsa, 37, pleaded guilty to several charges

Scott Rozsa, 37, pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from his May 2004 arrest, which also turned up three guns and more than $130,000 cash inside his car and home.He was on bail at the time for an earlier arrest for conspiracy to traffic five kilograms of cocaine from British Columbia. "He was fairly high on the chain of distribution here in Manitoba," Crown attorney Michael Foote said in court Monday.
Rozsa admitted to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to three years in prison.
"The clear message here is crime doesn't pay," said defence lawyer Tim Killeen.
The university-educated Rozsa had been living a crime-free lifestyle that included being an award-winning car salesman until he got involved with the wrong people, the defence lawyer said.He was receiving cocaine by the kilogram "off the boat" from Columbia and repackaging it in his home for resale in Winnipeg, court was told.Killeen said his client learned a valuable lesson during his previous jail stint and it's unfortunate he is now going back into custody, away from his family and community supports.Many reference letters were submitted to court, and a packed gallery of loved ones attended Monday's hearing."There's a real good chance you have turned your life around," Queen's Bench Justice John Scurfield told Rozsa.
"It frankly saddens me that I have to do what I have to do today."Rozsa was given double-time credit for six months of pre-trial custody, leaving him with another six years on his sentence. He won't be eligible for accelerated parole after serving one-sixth of his time because he's no longer a first-time federal offender.

Ernie Dew

Ernie Dew has been in jail since the massive police drug bust in February 2006. The sting saw the arrests of 13 people, and it hinged largely on the undercover work of Franco Atanasovic, Dew's friend more than 20 years.
Atanasovic, 48, detailed the undercover operation Monday at Dew's trial in Winnipeg, where the courtroom was heavily guarded by armed police officers and closed to the public.
Atanasovic said on one occasion, he was invited to Dew's home to collect cocaine. Trying to delay the deal because he was not set up with the RCMP handlers, Atanasovic said he invented a story that his sons had his vehicle at an AHL hockey game.
Instead, Dew arranged for someone to visit Atanasovic at home. The delivery arrived with someone else Atanasovic said he's known for more than 20 years.
"He passed me a white plastic bag ... with coke in it," Atanasovic said.
The next day, Atanasovic said he went to a Winnipeg motorcycle shop to pay for the drug delivery. Dew climbed into his truck, and he handed him $13,000, which Dew put up his sleeve, Atanasovic said.
He told court he can't remember if Dew counted the cash in front of him.
During one of his projects as an agent, Atanasovic visited Dew at an auto wreckers on Winnipeg's outskirts, where Dew worked. Instead of making a deal, Atanasovic ended up selling a raffle ticket.
"It was for my son's hockey tournament. I sold it to him," Atanasovic told the court Monday.
Atanasovic, whose criminal record goes back to the late 1970s and contains convictions for violence and fraud, was paid more than $525,000 to infiltrate the gang.
During the operation, Atanasovic was only supposed to use a special cell phone that was being monitored by RCMP officers. On Monday, he admitted to phoning Dew numerous times using a private cell phone that was registered to a friend - calls that were not reported to police.