Yellowknife woman convicted of cocaine trafficking

A Yellowknife woman held her face in her hands and shook her head as a jury found her guilty of trafficking cocaine but not guilty of trafficking fentanylon Friday.

Serenus Charlene Bryan, 51, was among more than a dozen people arrested two years ago following an RCMP investigation dubbed Green Manalishi, which targeted the hard drug trade in the city.

The jury delivered its verdict at about 11 a.m. Friday. It began deliberating at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and was sequestered in a hotel room overnight.

The centrepiece of the RCMP investigation was a wiretap warrant that allowed police to secretly listen in on the conversations of drug ringleader Todd Dube and others.

On Tuesday, the jury heard 22 recordings that police alleged are Bryan talking with Dube and others about purchasing drugs and attempting to pay down a drug debt she had accumulated with Dube. Bryan never testified at the trial and never admitted she was the woman in the recorded conversations.

After the verdict, Bryan's lawyer told the judge he intends to argue during the sentencing that any trafficking Bryan engaged in was not for profit. Part of Bryan's defence was that she was calling Dube and another dealer to feed her own drug addiction.

According to court records, Bryan was previously convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and sentenced to 12 months in custody. She also has convictions for fraud and theft.

The judge has ordered a report on Bryan's background for her sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec.18.