CALGARY — Celebrating his 19th birthday by riding around with a large wad of money in his underwear turned out to be bad decision for a Calgary man.
Provincial court Judge Cheryl Daniel ruled a backpack in a pickup truck stopped by police belonged to Jordan Adam Yaremus.
Daniel, in a written decision released Tuesday, said Yaremus had to know the backpack contained a large amount of marijuana, which police could smell when they stopped his truck on Aug. 20, 2006.
Daniel also said the amount of cash police found on him was further proof he was engaging in the drug trade.
“The accused had a significant amount of cash secreted in his underwear ($1,690) — a most unusual location to keep money, and a lot of money for a young man just turning 19 that day,” she said.
She rejected a suggestion by defence lawyers Pat Fagan and Eleanor Funk the Crown hadn’t proven Yaremus knew what was in the bag.
“The marijuana smell was overwhelming,” said Daniel, in convicting Yaremus of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possessing proceeds of crime and possession of a concealed weapon.
The judge noted there was nearly $5,000 worth of marijuana in the backpack.
“It is so unlikely that such a large quantity of drugs would be entrusted to anyone who did not know what was in the backpack, that such a possibility may safely be rejected,” she said.