An undercover drug investigation ended in the arrest of a 31-year-old man, who will spend the next four years behind bars.
In April, Dakota Masson became the target of an undercover drug trafficking investigation, which ultimately led police to a semi-automatic handgun.
An undercover police officer had scheduled to meet Masson in a Bonnyville parking lot, where he purchased less than one-gram of methamphetamine as part of the ongoing investigation.
The officer was sitting in Masson's vehicle during the transaction when he spotted a Ruger semi-automatic handgun with a loaded magazine nearby.
Masson was arrested shortly after during a stop at the local Fas Gas.
Officers located the weapon and the ammunition, and he was charged with multiple offences in relation to the incident.
At the time of his arrest, Masson was under three weapons prohibitions.
On Tuesday, July 3 in the Bonnyville Provincial Courthouse, Masson pled guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon with ammunition readily available and was sentenced to four years in custody, a lifetime weapons prohibition, and ordered to provide a sample of his DNA for the national databank.
According to Stephanie Oleksyn, acting duty counsel, Masson has struggled with substance abuse.
Originally from British Columbia, Masson moved to Bonnyville in 2007.
He described himself as the "black sheep of the family."
Honourable Judge Kathleen Williams said it was unfortunate that he was before the court.
She described this particular set of instances as "making dangerous choices."
His four years in custody started the day of his sentencing and didn't take into account any of the time he had spent behind bars since his arrest.
Williams encouraged Masson to take advantage of the programs available while he's in custody.
