A man who came to Canada aged four risks deportation to Cambodia, a judge said, after being convicted of drugs charges related to an incident in Hay River.
Savy You pleaded guilty to three charges: one related to cocaine trafficking, one related to fentanyl trafficking and one of possessing the proceeds of crime.
He was sentenced to 3.5 years’ imprisonment in October last year. A transcript of his sentencing was published this week.
You was arrested in November 2024 after Hay River RCMP noticed a photo of a firearm on social media and a reference to drug trafficking at an apartment on Woodland Drive, triggering an investigation.
At the time, You was already accused of separate drugs-related offences in Fort Simpson, though those charges were later withdrawn.
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Justice Sheila MacPherson said You, 40 at the time of his sentencing, was born in Cambodia and came to Canada as a four-year-old. He is a permanent resident of Canada and has three teenaged children.
“He came north to meet a woman and, while here, he became a drug addict,” MacPherson said in delivering his sentence.
“He is not claiming that he was selling drugs to feed his addiction. However, it partially explains his exposure to the drug culture.”
Police found You in November 2024 with 17.8 grams of cocaine and 16.7 grams of suspected fentanyl that later turned out to be a mixture of cocaine with a small quantity of fentanyl. He also had around $3,000 in cash.
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MacPherson said there could be “collateral consequences” of a 3.5-year sentence, as a term that long removes You’s ability to appeal any deportation order if one is made.
“I’m advised that he has no meaningful connection to Cambodia. His parents struggled with adapting to life in Canada and he had a difficult upbringing, one marked by poverty,” the judge said.
However, she said the 3.5-year recommendation from both the Crown and defence was “very much in line with the prevailing case law” and possible deportation was “a risk that people incur when committing serious criminal acts in Canada.”
“I’m also of the view that 3.5 years for a first-time offender sends a real message of deterrence and denunciation,” said MacPherson.
“The horrific impact of drugs in the North has been commented on in a number of decisions from this court, and drug trafficking must and will be dealt with severely as a consequence.”
