A 38-year-old man from Alberta has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking in Norman Wells.
Ahead of a Yellowknife Territorial Court trial on Tuesday, Devon Salisbury pleaded guilty to one count of possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, as first reported by CBC. He was sentenced to three and a half years’ imprisonment and given credit for 762 days in pre-sentencing custody.
The Crown stayed one charge against Salisbury of possessing a firearm while prohibited. The prosecution also withdrew additional charges of unsafely storing a handgun, willfully obstructing a police officer, two counts of failing to comply with a release order, and charges of possessing:
- stolen tax return packages;
- bear spray for a dangerous purpose;
- a firearm without a licence;
- a loaded restricted firearm;
- unstamped tobacco products; and
- break in instruments.
The RCMP arrested and charged Salisbury, along with co-accused Robert Webber, 43, in May 2025 after finding drugs, drug trafficking paraphernalia and a loaded gun at an Airbnb in Norman Wells.
According to an agreed statement of facts, the owner of the property called police around 2:30pm on May 3, 2025, saying community members told her the men staying at the Airbnb were involved in drug trafficking.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
After the property owner called police again advising them the men had not left, RCMP officers arrived at the residence around 9:30pm. Salisbury was smoking outside and identified himself to police as Jessie Salisbury. Webber then came outside and the two men told police they were staying at the Airbnb while in town for work.
While continuing the conversation inside the residence, police “formed grounds to believe” the men were in possession of drugs, arrested them and removed them from the Airbnb.
An RCMP officer checked the residence to make sure no one else was inside and saw a handgun style magazine and loose ammunition in a Ziploc bag on a shelf. The officer then opened a firearm case under the couch to see if there was a gun inside and found multiple baggies containing crack cocaine.
RCMP obtained a search warrant and officers searched the Airbnb the following morning. Among other items, they located:
- a total of 321.39 grams of crack cocaine;
- a total of 68.32 grams of cocaine;
- 18.99 grams of crystal methamphetamine;
- a functional, loaded Glock 21 .45 calibre automatic handgun;
- an empty magazine for a Glock 21 and five rounds of loose .45 calibre ammunition;
- numerous fake IDs and fradulent documents;
- a can of bear spray;
- 18 cartons of unstamped cigarettes; and
- $1.676.9 in cash.
After officers left the scene, the owner of the Airbnb called police again and said she had found three bags of crack cocaine while cleaning the dryer. RCMP returned and seized an additional 351.21g of crack cocaine.
Webber is set for a sentencing hearing on two charges on October 30.
