TACOMA — A British Columbia man was sentenced Monday to 22 months for pairing up with an accomplice in a failed May 31, 2010, attempt to smuggle 548 pounds of marijuana by boat from Canada into the United States.
Kyle Grayson Gadsby, was 25 when he joined Colin Charles Crowe, 27, in attempting to land in a camouflaged inflatable boat on a beach near Clallam Bay with eight duct-tape-wrapped garbage bags full of potent “B.C. bud” marijuana valued at $1 million to $2 million.
Crowe was sentenced in March to 2½ years for his part in the scheme.
Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a controlled substance, for which they could have received 5 years to 40 years.
Upon his release from prison, Gadsby must undergo three years of supervised release, according to the sentence handed down in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
Potential fines of up to $2 million were waived for both men, who told authorities they were to be paid $5,000 each to transport the marijuana.
The two were arrested after being spotted by Border Patrol Agent Peter Gomez unloading their inflatable craft at about 1:20 a.m. May 31, 2010, onto a beach next to state Highway 112 near Clallam Bay.
They attempted to flee in their boat back to Canada, had motor problems and were intercepted by Customs and Border Protection marine interdiction agents.
U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Emily Langlie said Monday she did not know where Gadsby would be imprisoned.
“When it’s a citizen of another country, you are limited in terms of where they will house you,” Langlie said.
Crowe and Gadsby will not be eligible for a U.S.-Canada treaty-transfer program under which he would serve lesser sentences until after about a year in prison, Langlie said in an earlier interview.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@ peninsuladailynews.com.
