Winnipeg marijuana delivery man pleads guilty to drug trafficking

A Winnipeg man has been convicted of drug trafficking after selling cannabis to undercover police officers in 2016, but is still awaiting trial for allegedly importing fentanyl from China.

RayAlder JohnCsincsa, 54, pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to four counts of drug trafficking between Feb. 25 and April 6, 2016.

The marijuana activist openly smoked pot on social media and even advertised his Winnipeg cannabis delivery service on Facebook.According to court documents, Winnipeg police started investigating him in 2015 after receiving a tip someone was distributing flyers advertising the sale and delivery of marijuana.

Csincsawasarrested in front of the Curtis Gordon Hotel onHendersonHighway on April 6, 2016, after an undercover officer purchased half an ounce of marijuana for $110 in cash. It was the fourth time an undercover officer had boughtpot from the accused in a matter of months, according to court documents.

Officers seized $1,120 incash and a key to a room in the hotel he had been renting where theydiscovered more than 136 grams of marijuana, packaging material anda scale.

"This is a situation where Mr.Csincsawas a marijuana advocateand when he heard theCanadian government was thinking oflegalization, or considering it,that's when this sort of began,"Csincsa'slawyer Scott Wilson told the court Tuesday morning."Not the smartest move if Icould put it that way and ultimately he is pleading guilty."

The court heardCsincsais originally from Vancouver andis divorced with two kids and does not have prior drug convictions. He has anarchitectural design diploma from Vancouver Community College but has been living in Winnipeg on social assistance for some time.

"He did sell it but he obviously also didn't hide it," said federal crown attorneyRaeganRankin,who agreed to a joint recommendation sentence of eight months. "I think perhapsgiven the tenor of the way that cannabis marijuana is being treatedthat people just sort of got a jump on what ultimately may or may nothappen when the legislation comes down and Mr.Csincsais obviously one of these people."

Csincsahas already spent five and a half months in jail and would have been released from custodybut remains locked up for an unrelated charge of importing a controlled substance, for allegedly receiving a shipment of fentanyl from China.Last week he applied for bail in that case and was denied.

Cash seized as proceeds of crime

Details of the two policeinvestigations are outlined in a Jan. 25 statement of claim filed by Manitoba's Director of Criminal Property and Forfeitureas part of a motion to seize money belonging to the accusedconsidered to be the proceeds of crime.

The court document said in July2016 Canadian Border Services officers in Vancouver intercepted a suspicious package addressed to a "Thomas Greene" at a home on Church Avenue in Winnipeg. The sender wasidentified as "Marry" inShangHai YanBing, Shanghai, China. Tests confirmed the package contained 9.258 grams offentanyl, with an estimated street value of $14,800.

According to the statement of claim, CBSA officers had intercepted a similar package by the same sender in May 2016 that also contained fentanyl.

"Officers believed that the defendant was using the name Thomas Greene as an alias for the purpose of receiving shipments of fentanyl from China and that the defendant was the intended recipient of the package, as well as the package that had been previously intercepted by the CBSA on May 31, 2016," said the statement of claim.

Csincsa was arrested and charged on July 29, 2016, after heidentified himself as Thomas Greene to an undercoverRCMP officer who was acting as a delivery person.

Officers searched the accused's home and found additional quantities of fentanyl, marijuanaand Valium, and seized $4,780 in cash.

Csincsa'snext court appearance in that case is scheduled for Aug. 2.