Selling drugs and gun to undercover officer earns five-year sentence

One of the subjects of an investigation into a major trafficking operation in Prince George was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.

The outcome for Garth Clarence Goodkey, 54, came in the form of a joint submission from Crown and defence counsels after he pleaded guilty to one count each of trafficking in a controlled substance and trafficking in a firearm.

According to an agreed statement of facts, between Jan. 30, 2020, and Sept. 26, 2020, Goodkey sold to an undercover police officer 21 ounces of cocaine worth $47,800 and seven pounds of cannabis worth $10,500 as well as a prohibited semi-automatic rifle along with two magazines capable of holding up to 30 rounds for $1,350.

Police had also uncovered 100 cannabis plants and 114 clones and a restricted revolver when they executed a search warrant on a Fir Street home associated to Goodkey. A further 49 pounds of cannabis as well as a revolver classified as restricted and a ring valued at $135,000 were seized from his Westmount Crescent home.

Goodkey was sentenced to two years on the drug-related count and three years on the firearm-related charge, with the terms to be served consecutively.

In agreeing to the terms, Provincial Court Judge David Simpkin said that while the sentences are at the low end of the scales for the offences, they remain proportionate to the gravity of the crimes committed and Goodkey's moral culpability.

His decision to plead guilty spared Crown "scarce resources" that would have been needed to achieve a prosecution, it was also noted. A trial on the matter would have lasted for weeks, the court was told during submissions on Tuesday.

"The sentences will serve to denounce Mr. Goodkey's conduct. They will also serve to deter him and other like-minded individuals and also, by not being unduly harsh, serve to promote Mr. Goodkey's rehabilitation," Simpkin said.

Although prohibited in Canada, the court heard that when Goodkey sold the gun and magazines he was confident they were not going to be used against people but rather for recreational shooting. When the officer posing as a buyer complained it was not a fully-automatic weapon, Goodkey agreed to take it back and offered a reduced rate for the cannabis, the court was told.

When given a chance to speak, Goodkey said he just wanted to move forward and deal with his addiction issues, "not that it excuses any of it, I did do these things."

Goodkey was among three men charged in December 2022 in connection with a years-long investigation by the B.C. Combined Forces Investigation Unit that culminated in the seizure of 29 guns plus ammunition 1.7 kilograms of cocaine and 958 cannabis plants along with 29 guns plus ammunition.

Some $40,000 in cash, three trucks, a money counter and more than 3,000 pills of various types were also seized, police have said. The ring, meanwhile, has been forfeited to the province as a proceed of crime.

Co-accused Derek Charles Macnicol Timmins faces sentencing in January after pleading guilty to a count of drug trafficking. Charges against a second co-accused, Daniel David Wilson, including a count of committing an offence for a criminal organization, remain contested.

Goodkey has a criminal record but it is the first time he has been sentenced to time in custody. In 2012, he was sentenced to 23 months house arrest on trafficking charges.