Terry Marriott Sr. gets 2 years on drug charge

The head of a well-known Halifax crime family has been sentenced to two years in prison for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Terry Marriott Sr. was sentenced on Friday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. He pleaded guilty to the charge in August.

In April 2009, police raided Marriott's home in Spryfield and found about 28 grams of cocaine. Marriott was later charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Marriott, who is 62 years old, has spent more than 30 years in prison. He has a criminal history dating back to 1966, including a dozen drug-related offences.

Defence lawyer Chris Manning said prior tothe current case,his client had not committed a drug offence since 1999 and said Marriott only got back into the business in order to get information about the death of his son.

Terry Marriott Jr. was gunned down in February 2009 while he was at a friend's house in Harrietsfield. The killing is unsolved.

Manning said Terry Marriott Sr. was distraught after his son's death and resumed selling drugs in the hopes that the people he dealt to would supply clues to his son's killing.

Court alsoheard that Marriott also has numerous health problems, including hepatitis C, diabetes and arthritis.

The defence lawyer said the circumstances in this case were exceptional and asked Justice Robert Wright to place Marriott on house arrest for two years less a day.

Jeff Moors, the Crown attorney, recommended a four-year prison sentence.

In handing down his sentence, Wright said house arrest would not be appropriate for Marriott and sentenced him to two years in prison.