Man sent to prison for helping stash cocaine

A man whose apartment was used to stash cocaine for a local drug trafficking organization in Brandon has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Jerimiah Dambo, 27, was found guilty of possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking after standing trial in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench in June 2025. Justice Scott Abel convicted him on the basis that Dambo knew his apartment was being used to stash cocaine.

On Wednesday, Abel sentenced Dambo to five and a half years in custody.

In January 2020, the Brandon Police Service began Project Brazen, which was an investigation targeting a man who they believed was involved in trafficking cocaine in the city.

Police believed he was the head of the drug trafficking organization and was using runners, couriers and stash locations.

One of the men, who was believed to be the “second in command,” was allegedly responsible for resupplying runners and packaging the cocaine.

Throughout the investigation, BPS, through various forms of surveillance, saw the second in command coming and going from Dambo’s apartment on Willowdale Crescent.

BPS made several covert entries into the apartment, during which officers found packaged cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

On May 3, 2021, police arrested Dambo and seized roughly three kilograms of cocaine with a street value of roughly $275,000, Abel said.

“There was no evidence the offender was involved in any decision-making regarding the sale and distribution of the cocaine,” Abel said.

He said Dambo did have limited decision-making responsibilities in terms of who was allowed in the apartment, noting that Dambo and the second in command were the only people who had keys to the apartment.

While decision-making usually reflects greater involvement in a drug trafficking organization, Abel said, greater involvement doesn’t require decision-making.

“There was intentional risk-taking on the part of the offender,” he said. “Risk taking is also consistent with a high level of trust … The level of trust is reflected in the quantity and value of the cocaine left in the apartment, as well as for an extended period of time.”

Abel said a safe storage location is of “critical importance” to drug trafficking organizations and allows them to function.

“There was also consequential harm for the offender’s conduct in allowing the ongoing supply of cocaine into the community,” he said. “His role in the drug trafficking operation allowed for the ongoing supply and resupply of cocaine.”

He said the type of drug and the fact that his involvement allowed other people to profit are aggravating factors.

Abel said there are some mitigating factors as well, including that Dambo has no criminal record, hasn’t become reinvolved in the criminal justice system while on release and was assessed as a low risk to reoffend.

Abel said the paramount sentencing objectives in cases involving drug trafficking are denunciation and deterrence and determined that the sentencing range for someone in Dambo’s role is five to eight years.

A judge can depart from the range if there are exceptional circumstances, but Abel said he didn’t find there were any in Dambo’s case.

He said considering the factors, Dambo should receive a sentence at the lower end of the range and said five and a half years is an appropriate sentence.

The Crown had recommended a sentence of six and a half years, while defence argued for a sentence of two years less a day and that he serve it by way of a conditional sentence — house arrest.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com