An Australian man still has a chance at his dream of a future in Canada after getting caught with cocaine at the U.S. border.
Cameron Ezekiel Reid, 32, was given an absolute discharge after pleading guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) on March 21 in Penticton provincial court.
The charge stems from an incident on July 26, 2015 around noon, when Reid approached the U.S. border in Osoyoos.
Reid had been living in Whistler at the time, but he had no Canadian citizenship documents on his person, only an Australian driver’s license. Canada Border Services Agency conducted a search of his vehicle and seven grams of cocaine were seized.
A plea deal was reached with Crown counsel and defence counsel Sheldon Pinx noting 30 hours of community work service completed by Reid prior to the sentencing.
Reid came to Canada on a snowboard vacation in 2015 and “fell in love” with the country, acquiring a work permit.
According to Pinx, Reid was on his way to a music festival in the Osoyoos area to volunteer when he went off track.
A marathon had changed his travel route, with his GPS taking him into the U.S. forcing him to come back through the border.
Pinx said his client had completely disassociated himself with drug use since the incident.
“He emphasized to me the lesson he has learned,” Pinx said, appearing by telephone in Penticton Provincial Court, noting his client called Canada the “most wonderful place in the world to build a future.”
A glowing letter of endorsement was submitted regarding Reid’s community work service as well.
“Lesson learned I hope Mr. Reid,” said Judge Gail Sinclair. “You go to another country you have to tow the line as far as complying with the law.”
“I’ve reevaluated the things in my life that I find are important and I love this country, I’d love to stay here and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize that in any way,” Reid said.