Woman learns hard lesson about hanging out with drug dealers

Hanging out with the wrong people can cost you a lot of money.

A woman from Wawa learned this recently when she appeared in a Sault Ste. Marie courtroom.

Sara Hannuksela pleaded guilty to possession of crystal meth for the purpose of trafficking.

The accusation was based on a police visit to her apartment over three years ago.

Ontario Court Judge Romuald Kwolek heard that Ontario Provincial Police officers executed an arrest warrant at the home shortly before 2 p.m. on January 22, 2021.

They found numerous narcotics, including crystal meth, Percocet and cannabis resin, as well as bear spray, a debt list, a digital scale and residue of a white powder.

Hannuksela was one of two people who lived there.

She was sentenced to the prison sentence she had already served: she spent 86 days in pre-trial detention, which corresponds to 129 days.

Her lawyer Eric McCooeye described this as a sufficient punishment for the defendant, who has no previous convictions.

Hannuksela was aware that, although she had no direct control – the other person involved had that – she knew about what was happening, the defense said.

“She has learned to be more careful in choosing her contacts,” McCooeye said in court.

When asked if she had anything to say, Hannuksela replied: “My lawyer has pretty much said everything.”

Federal prosecutor Joe Chapman said the prosecution's theory was that her partner was the main actor, but she knew what was going on.

Kwolek described the woman's plea as mitigating and pointed out that there were aspects that were ripe for negotiation.

Hannuksela pleaded guilty to a serious charge but had no previous convictions and her accomplice knew what was going on, he said.

The judge imposed a ten-year weapons ban and ordered her to provide a DNA sample for the national database.

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