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Woman facing organized crime charges pleads not guilty

A Sturgeon Lake First Nation woman facing organized crime charges pleaded not guilty.

A Sturgeon Lake First Nation woman facing organized crime charges pleaded not guilty. 

Shania Yooya, 24, had an appearance scheduled in Prince Albert Provincial Court June 24 on charges of trafficking a controlled substance for a criminal organization, uttering threats for a criminal organization, and conspiracy to commit assault for a criminal organization.

Yooya, and four others, were arrested by the RCMP Crime Reduction Team after a five-month investigation into organized crime in Prince Albert. 

During the RCMP’s organized crime sting, that started October 2019 and went until February 2020, police raided a home on the Sturgeon Lake First Nation and seized a sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, a replica handgun, a spear gun, and suspected hydromorphone. 

The organized crime investigation also resulted in the arrests of: Jesse Dillon, 28, from Onion Lake Cree Nation at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre on April 10; Raini Henderson, 30, of Nipawin, at the Prince Albert Provincial Correctional Centre on May 6; and Brennen Sanderson, 27, in Sturgeon Lake on May 16. Police also arrested Shannon Sanderson, 29, in February. 

Dillon is charged with recruiting for a criminal organization, trafficking a controlled substance for a criminal organization, uttering threats for a criminal organization, and conspiracy to commit assault for a criminal organization. He is also charged with two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, trafficking methamphetamine, obstruction of justice, fabricating evidence, unsafe storage of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unlawful possession of a restricted firearm, possession of a firearm with a tampered serial number and possession of a weapon obtained by crime. 

Besides the organized crime charges, Yooya is also charged with unsafe storage of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition without holding a license, possession of a firearm with a tampered serial number, possession of a weapon obtained by crime, trafficking methamphetamine, obstruction of justice and fabricating evidence. 

Henderson is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Sept. 14.

Brennen Sanderson is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Aug. 24. 

Shannon Sanderson failed to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court in March and a bench warrant was issued for her arrest. She remains at large.

Dillon is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on July 2 to elect how he wants to be tried.

Yooya was scheduled to elect how she wanted to be tried but it wasn’t addressed during her June 24 court appearance. Yooya now has a pre-trial conference scheduled in Prince Albert Court of Queen’s Bench on July 24.