Two men whom police have said were involved in the United Nations Gang have been sentenced to jail terms for their role in a 2009 drug conspiracy in Abbotsford.
Doug Vanalstine, 52, of Vernon, the alleged UN Gang leader at the time, received a 10-year jail term, but credit for time already served leaves him with three years and five months in prison.
Daryl Johnson, 34, of Abbotsford was sentenced to eight years, which was reduced to seven years and two months when time served was taken into account.
The pair previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine, and were sentenced Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. A charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking was stayed against each of them.
Charges were dropped against their co-accused, Nicholas Wester of Abbotsford, as part of their plea agreement.
The three were among five arrested in Abbotsford in November 2009 following an undercover operation by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
Also arrested that day were Abbotsford's Jarrod Bacon and Wayne Scott, who both went to trial and were convicted earlier this year of conspiracy to traffic cocaine.
Bacon and Scott were tied to the Red Scorpions gang, rivals of the UN Gang.
Bacon is currently serving a 12-year jail term, while Scott was sentenced to three and a half years.
Bacon now plans to appeal his sentence, saying it was too harsh, and the Crown is also appealing, seeking a longer term.
The undercover operation involved the use of a police agent who negotiated with the players for the movement of cocaine from Mexico in exchange for cash. Much of the discussions were recorded by wiretaps, forming the bulk of the Crown's evidence.
No drugs or money ever changed hands with Bacon and West, but the other group turned over $100,000 cash in exchange for 100 kg of what they thought was cocaine, but was mostly fake.
Meanwhile, Wester is currently going through the court system in relation to another case. He was charged, along with five others, with production of a controlled substance in Mission, also in 2009.
That matter is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 14 in B.C. Supreme Court in Chilliwack.