SURREY (NEWS1130) - A Surrey man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for running a sophisticated dial-a-dope operation. He's only the second person in BC history to be convicted on a new organized crime charge.
Mounties started their investigation into Daniel Michael MacNeil's business back in 2006 and say it brought in thousands of dollars a day. He was convicted on drug and gun charges, plus the new charge - Commission of an Offence for a Criminal Organization.
News1130 Legal Analyst
Michael Shapray says that conviction carries a lot of weight when it comes to sentencing. "Criminal organization sentences are always to be served consecutively; they never run concurrently."
Shapray says proving that charge can be difficult. "They have to prove aspects of the group dynamic and what the purpose of the group is. That's always a difficult thing unless you've had someone who's infiltrated that group or some direct evidence."