“Good luck to you, Mr. Gova. I hope to never see you in the Northwest Territories again.”
– Justice Shannon Smallwood, after sentencing an Edmonton drug dealer
Those who come to the Northwest Territories to make some quick cash selling hard drugs “should be condemned,” as they profit off our most vulnerable people and then leave with their “ill-gotten gains, leaving behind all the problems that they directly created,” says a NWT Supreme Court judge.
As she agreed to a five-year global sentence joint recommendation for Mikaeel Gova, 21, of Edmonton, Chief Justice Shannon Smallwood noted the 112 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia and cash seized by RCMP May 2023 were joined by a loaded handgun.
“Mr. Gova is not from Yellowknife, and he was not in Yellowknife for any worthwhile purpose,” she said on Thursday in Courtroom 201 in Yellowknife. “It’s also aggravating that Mr. Gova was located in a home with children Children have no choice about where they live or who visits others in their home, and they were put at risk by the actions of Mr. Gova.”
As a seated Gova looked on with his arms crossed from a room at North Slave Correctional Centre, Smallwood noted The NWT Supreme Court has been concerned about cocaine trafficking in the Northwest Territories for years, and treats the crime seriously.
“As a result, the courts in this jurisdiction have traditionally imposed sentences that reflect society’s condemnation of drug trafficking, that also reflect the harm that these activities cause and that will deter others from engaging in this activity,” she said,
“Having the possession of a loaded restricted firearm only adds to the seriousness of the offences. What legitimate reason does a drug trafficker have for possessing a loaded restricted firearm?”
“Keeping it loaded, or with ammunition nearby, means that it is to be used for more than intimidation. Simply put, carrying a loaded restricted or prohibited firearm is an extremely dangerous act for which there is absolutely no justification.”
Gova pleaded guilty on Monday to possessing cocaine for trafficking and the unauthorized possession of a loaded handgun.
On May 30, 2023, an RCMP sergeant received a text from someone peddling cocaine.
The exact circumstances of how that came about were not available, but the officer knew the dealer was operating out of the home of a couple with children in the Garden Townhomes.
A partial view of the Garden Townhomes in Yellowknife., owned by Northview REIT. (Image courtesy of Google Street View)
The woman resident in the Garden Townhomes was known to local authorities.
Concerned for the children, the RCMP reported the situation to NWT Child and Family Services, and accompanied a worker to the townhouse.
The mother was downstairs with the kids, and Gova was found upstairs at a coffee table with cocaine, $530 in cash, a substance to dilute the cocaine, scales, and three cellphones. While searching the suspect, officers found the illegal loaded handgun near Gova’s ankle.
“Cocaine continues to be a significant problem in the Northwest Territories and in Yellowknife. It is well-known the ease with which a person can obtain cocaine in Yellowknife. Easy access to cocaine leads to addictions and social problems,” said the judge.
Gova sat with his arms crossed and expressed no emotion a the judge spoke. Smallwood said this was his first criminal offence on record and he finished his high-school equivalency while being behind bars since he was arrested.
With Gova’s pre-trial custody, he will have 2.17 years left to serve. And the judge said that could be in a prison in Alberta, where he could be closer to family.
“Trafficking in drugs is lucrative, and communities in the Northwest Territories are an attractive market for it,” said Smallwood, “and there are those who choose to prey on other people’s vulnerability to make easy money.
“The level of moral blameworthiness of people who engage in this activity is very high.”
