An Abbotsford man allegedly connected to the UN Gang has been given a six-month conditional sentence (house arrest) on a drug charge.
Russell Wester, 21, previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking, and was sentenced Monday in B.C. Supreme Court in Chilliwack.
Two other counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon were stayed.
Wester is the youngest of three Abbotsford brothers police said have ties to the UN Gang. He was arrested on Dec. 30, 2009 following a raid at an apartment in the 2300 block of Westerly Street.
Officers seized 3.5 pounds of marijuana, 12 rocks of crack cocaine, a bag of magic mushrooms, $3,000 cash, a pair of brass knuckles and a tiger claw blade (a martial arts weapon).
The raid came one month after Wester’s brother, Nick, 32, was among five alleged members of the UN Gang and the Red Scorpions arrested and charged in a sting by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).
The undercover operation in Abbotsford resulted in Nick being charged with conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking, along with alleged UN Gang leader Doug Vanalstine and associate Daryl Johnson.
Their case is currently making its way through the court system, and they are scheduled for trial this June at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
Also arrested and charged in the CFSEU operation were alleged Red Scorpion Jarrod Bacon and Wayne Scott, the maternal grandfather of Bacon’s son.
Bacon was found guilty in the case, and his sentencing hearing in Vancouver is scheduled for next Friday, April 27. Scott was also convicted, but has challenged the ruling by claiming police entrapment. A decision on that matter is slated for April 25.
Another Wester brother, Dustin, 24, was killed in a targeted shooting in July 2008. His body was found at an Abbotsford gas station on Townshipline Road after he was involved in a violent marijuana grow rip.