logo
Millbrook First Nation councillor acquitted of illegal tobacco charges

Millbrook First Nation councillor acquitted of illegal tobacco charges

CBC21-02-2025

A prominent First Nation councillor in Nova Scotia has been acquitted of charges linked to the 2022 seizure of a large amount of illegal tobacco, after a judge ruled Thursday the evidence in court did not prove he was the owner of the small shop selling the products.
On its surface, the decision is at odds with the public advocacy of the Millbrook First Nation councillor, Chris Googoo, who has asserted the Mi'kmaq have the treaty right to sell tobacco and cannabis outside of federal and provincial regulations.
In an interview outside the provincial courtroom in Dartmouth, N.S., just minutes after he was found not guilty, Googoo openly acknowledged he owns High Grade Trading Post in Cole Harbour, N.S.
He is willing to raise constitutional challenges, he said, but the system as it's set up means he must go through a trial first and he believed it was important to test the prosecution's evidence against him.
"Yeah, I got acquitted," he said. "But that's due to the Crown and the authorities not doing their due diligence and getting their full facts in order. We have our full facts in order on our side of things."
The scenario is similar to another decision involving High Grade Trading Post from last spring in which another judge acquitted Googoo of cannabis charges after ruling the Crown had not proven the store was under his control.
Googoo is the founder of the Micmac Rights Association, a group he said now includes roughly 260 members. Its advocacy has focused on asserting the "sovereign rights" of Mi'kmaq, particularly around the sale of cannabis, both on and off reserves.
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government only allows cannabis to be sold through the Crown corporation Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, while the sale and taxing of tobacco is regulated.
"We have a right to an economy just like any other person," Googoo said. "And it's not about selling tobacco or cannabis. In my eyes, they're both legal products, and the government sells it and we should be able to partake in those industries as well."
Revenue Act charges
In Thursday's court case, Googoo faced seven charges under Nova Scotia's Revenue Act, including possessing tobacco on which tax has not been paid and selling tobacco that didn't have the mark required by law.
In her decision, Judge Amy Sakalauskas said officers with the fuel and tobacco unit of Service Nova Scotia filled at least 10 garbage bags with cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products they seized on Oct. 5, 2022, from the store on Millbrook reserve land in Cole Harbour.
The sign outside said "Cheap Tobacco," the judge said, and inside cartons of cigarettes were selling for $60, easily half the price of those sold in the legal market. The store, she said, was "pretty loaded with inventory."
Googoo, however, was not at the scene when the authorities raided High Grade, and the judge said a crucial part of the case hinged on whether the prosecution could prove he was the owner and operator of the shop, which at the time was housed in a trailer.
Proving identity
Googoo's lawyer, Jack Lloyd, did not call any defence evidence and Googoo chose not to testify, which meant he was not questioned in court about whether he owned High Grade Trading Post.
The prosecution tried to prove he did. One officer testified a man who identified himself as Millbrook councillor Chris Googoo called him the day after the raid and confirmed he owned High Grade.
The officer also obtained records from Nova Scotia Power that showed the electricity account for the trailer was under the name Christopher Googoo. Another officer combed Googoo's Facebook page and those of his wife and High Grade.
The judge said it was a circumstantial case, one where various pieces of evidence when put together were close to proving that Googoo was the owner of High Grade.
But she said it was "an odd investigation" because the officers failed to take the needed extra steps. The names Christopher and Googoo are not uncommon in Nova Scotia, she noted.
The photos on the Facebook pages were grainy and poorly reproduced, the judge said, and she couldn't determine if they showed the same man who was sitting in court, even though an officer who served Googoo his court papers testified it was the same person.
She said the officer who received the call didn't investigate whether the number on the caller ID was actually associated with Googoo. The records from Nova Scotia Power had only a name, she said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Edmonton police officer who repeatedly struck arrestee with baton found not guilty
Edmonton police officer who repeatedly struck arrestee with baton found not guilty

Calgary Herald

time2 hours ago

  • Calgary Herald

Edmonton police officer who repeatedly struck arrestee with baton found not guilty

An Edmonton police officer caught on video hitting a man with his baton has been acquitted of assault. Article content Jurors on Wednesday returned to the courtroom after nine hours of deliberation and found Const. Alexander Doduk not guilty of two counts of assault for his arrest of construction worker Justin LaFrance near the Edmonton courthouse on a snowy morning in 2019. Article content Article content Article content LaFrance claimed Doduk attacked him as he tried to talk to a man suspected of breaking a window, while Doduk said LaFrance resisted arrest, including by grabbing at his duty belt. Article content Article content The chaotic arrest — during which Doduk hit and punched LaFrance before striking him repeatedly with his baton — was captured on security cameras at the nearby Royal Alberta Museum. The cameras did not record sound, leading to competing claims from Crown and defence about what LaFrance and Doduk said before and during the arrest. Article content As a rule, jurors do not explain how they arrived at their verdict, but the outcome indicates they believed the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Doduk used excessive force. Article content Jurors did not hear other details about Doduk's career — including his role in the death of Steven Nguyen, an unarmed man who died after Doduk shot him four times in 2021. The shooting was investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which concluded there were grounds to believe Doduk committed a 'culpable homicide.' The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, however, declined to proceed with charges, saying it could not prove Doduk's actions were 'unreasonable' under the Criminal Code's police use-of-force provisions. Article content Article content Article content The arrest at the centre of Doduk's trial happened Nov. 26, 2019. LaFrance was part of a crew renovating a building across the street from the Edmonton courthouse and told court he heard glass break during his morning site check. He walked out onto 97 Street, flagged down a passerby and asked if he had seen someone break a window. The passerby pointed to a man in dark clothing on the opposite street corner by the museum, LaFrance testified. Article content Article content LaFrance said he waved to Doduk as the officer drove by in his cruiser, and crossed 97 Street diagonally after Doduk flashed his lights to control traffic. He said he caught up with the alleged vandal and calmly asked him to stop until police arrived. Article content Doduk described a different scene. Driving by on his way to the courthouse, Doduk claimed he heard LaFrance screaming threats at the vandalism suspect, then saw him cross the busy road during rush hour. Doduk said he parked his cruiser and went after the two men, worried they would come to blows.

Charges stayed in sextortion case against Winnipeg man
Charges stayed in sextortion case against Winnipeg man

Winnipeg Free Press

time3 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Charges stayed in sextortion case against Winnipeg man

Prosecutors have stayed charges against a Winnipeg man accused of blackmailing men and boys in several provinces in a so-called 'sextortion' scheme after the alleged victims said they couldn't bring themselves to testify. Tongun Justin Tongun, who was 21 when he was charged by Winnipeg police with 10 counts of extortion in 2023, was accused of soliciting images from males on the internet, then threatening to post them online unless the victims sent him money. All 10 counts against Tongun were stayed in May, court records show. 'In preparation for this matter, the Crown contacted a number of victims,' a provincial government spokesman wrote in an email. 'After reviewing the matter and taking into consideration the impact to the victims, their unwillingness to relive the experience by testifying, the Crown determined not to proceed but did seek restitution for all the victims as per their wishes.' The Winnipeg Police Service began investigating Tongun after a man in his 20s came forward with allegations of extortion in February 2023. The victim told investigators he had shared intimate photos with someone online who pretended to be a young woman, before the person demanded cash and threatened to release the pictures. The victim transferred the scammer money, police said at the time. City sex crimes detectives charged Tongun with four counts of extortion that February after locating three more victims in Winnipeg, before later finding another six victims across Canada and filing more charges in June 2023. Police and cybersafety experts call the scams 'sextortion.' The scam typically involves a suspect threatening to distribute intimate or sexual images of a victim after they've gained their trust through 'sexually charged' conversations online, typically through social-media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, officials have said. The suspect will usually demand payment. Victims are often male teenagers or young adults who believe they are communicating with a woman. Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

HUNTER: 'Cruel and rotten' killer had hitman murder pal over $100Gs
HUNTER: 'Cruel and rotten' killer had hitman murder pal over $100Gs

Toronto Sun

time6 hours ago

  • Toronto Sun

HUNTER: 'Cruel and rotten' killer had hitman murder pal over $100Gs

The judge described Gino Giammichele as an evil person lacking any kind of a moral compass Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox Marko "Mark" Bakir, 31, was shot to death in the driveway of his home on Clifton Downs Rd. in Hamilton on Nov. 22, 2018. Photo by MARKO BAKIR / FACEBOOK Alessandro 'Gino' Giammichele wasn't going to pay back the $100,000 he borrowed from his friend Marko Bakir. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account No way. No how. Bakir allegedly told him that if he didn't cough up the dough, he would inform Giammichele's father about his son's criminal endeavours. Maybe even take him to court. But Giammichele thought he had a better idea. 'Marko lent Gino $100,000 and Gino had 100,000 reasons to want him dead,' assistant Crown attorney Elise Quinn said in her closing argument on May 31. So, the 31-year-old Hamilton man hired a heavy hitter named Abdelaziz Ibrahim, accused in multiple targeted murders, to seal the deal. And on Nov. 22, 2018, around 8:15 p.m., Ibrahim shot Bakir, 31, five times in front of his West Hamilton Mountain home. It would take four years of hard-slogging police work, but all roads would lead back to low-rent dope dealer Alessandro Giammichele. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Marko 'Mark' Bakir was fatally shot on Nov. 22, 2018 in his Hamilton driveway. Now, it's payback time. After one day of deliberations, a Hamilton jury found Giammichele guilty of murdering Bakir. CBC News reported that the murder mastermind sat stone-faced as the verdict was read. As for Ibrahim, he long ago caught the night train to Nowheresville via a fentanyl overdose at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay. The prosecution said it was Giammichele — who turned off his phone — who delivered Ibrahim to the murder scene. The two communicated following the hit as Bakir lay lifeless at the coroner. 'This is not a string of bad luck for Gino,' Quinn said. 'The cumulative effect of these events makes it absolutely improbable that these are just a series of unfortunate coincidences, especially when you consider all the other evidence in this case.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Abdelaziz Ibrahim. Suspected hitman died in jail. The defence argued that the evidence against Giammichele was inconclusive. His guilt had not been established beyond a reasonable doubt, they said. After less than a day of deliberations, the 12-person jury emerged agreeing with the Crown. Giammichele was guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal, cold-blooded slaying of his onetime friend. 'I totally agree with that verdict,' Justice Toni Skarica told the jury Tuesday morning. Skarica, who is slated to retire, acknowledged this would likely be the last murder trial he would oversee. The longtime judge was scathing in his contempt for the killer. Describing Giammichele as an evil person lacking any kind of a moral compass, Skarica said the killer would 'rip off everyone, including God, if he had the opportunity.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. '(His heart is so) cruel and rotten it makes the heart of the Grinch look gargantuan in comparison,' the judge said. And then Giammichele was given his diagnosis: Terminal. Life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. RECOMMENDED VIDEO But always left behind in the pageantry of death are the survivors, left only with memories and a pain destined to last an eternity. Bakir's brother Rawand called it a 'permanent nightmare.' 'My mother hasn't fully smiled since, my father cries when he thinks no one is watching, and my chest is so heavy it feels like I can't breathe,' Rawand said. 'The worst part is knowing this didn't have to happen. It was a plan that destroyed our lives.' In signing off, Justice Toni Skarica was philosophical. He said: '(The guilty verdict) is God's insurance policy, in my opinion … that good in society will always win out.' Here's to that. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun NHL Celebrity Editorial Cartoons News Sunshine Girls

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store