'Matriarch' of Point Douglas pink crack cocaine operation sentenced to 10 years in prison
CBC
A woman dubbed the "matriarch" at the centre of a pink crack cocaine trafficking ring headquartered in Winnipeg's Point Douglas area has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Sandra Guiboche, 60, pleaded guilty last fall to one count of conspiring to traffic cocaine. On Tuesday, Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Ken Champagne sentenced her to 10 years, saying the sentence would've been longer were it not for her age and health-related issues, and her guilty plea.
"This was her organization and she ruled it with an iron fist. She was the president and CEO. She was involved in every aspect of the drug organization," said Champagne.
"The damage and devastation caused by drug trafficking organizations supplying crack cocaine to the community is massive.… Ms. Guiboche was the kingpin."
Guiboche had initially pleaded not guilty and was set to go on trial, until she changed her plea last fall.
Crown prosecutor Kate Henley was seeking a 10-year prison sentence. Guiboche's defence lawyers, including Saul Simmonds, sought seven to eight years.
Several of the dozen or so people in the gallery Tuesday to support Guiboche gasped and cried when Champagne delivered his decision, during which he emphasized the importance of sending a message of deterrence to other drug dealers.
Guiboche, who wasn't in custody through the court proceedings, sat in her wheelchair next to the prisoner's box as sheriffs cuffed her and wheeled her away.
She and more than 20 others were arrested by Winnipeg police in 2021 following a months-long investigation called Project Matriarch.
Several of the others arrested have already been convicted and given sentences as high as eight years, Champagne said Tuesday.
Guiboche's operation consisted of turning powder cocaine into highly pure crack rocks, court heard. Her products were dyed pink in colour as a branding ploy, to make them stand out from the competition.
Winnipeg police intercepted thousands of communications between her and her associates via wiretaps.
Police estimated the operation made $660,000 in profits during just the period of their five-month investigation, some of which was laundered via VLTs at a casino.
They also had undercover investigators stake out one of her 10 properties, known as the "crack shack" on Lisgar Avenue, where they bought crack 42 times.
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