A Montreal man who tried to deceive police by hiding a loaded handgun during a routine bar stop needs to go to prison for reflection, a judge ruled, seeking to send a clear message against armed violence.
“We hope that the prison sentence, coupled with a probation order, will make him aware of the measures taken so that he understands that carrying a loaded firearm in a place frequented by the public, even as a protective measure, is not a trivial matter.” A gesture, quite the opposite,” emphasized Justice David Simon of the Quebec court in a recent ruling.
Léo Karmin Marabella got into trouble seven years ago because of a trivial police operation under the Alcohol Offenses Act in a Montreal bar.
On October 14, 2016, the moral police were supposed to check alcohol bottles, but one of them instead came across a gun in the facility’s bathroom. The gun was in a bag hidden in a bathroom cabinet. The police officer wanted to pack it up to continue his search, but was surprised by its unusual weight.
Betrayed by cameras
He suspected there were beer cans there, but instead found a .45 caliber pistol with a cartridge in the chamber.
The bag contained the gun, a second magazine, eight rounds of ammunition, but no identification documents. The simple routine operation turned into a criminal investigation.
At this point, police did not know who the bag and its contents belonged to. It wasn’t until three years later that Léo Karmin Marabella was arrested and charged thanks to DNA analysis found on the weapon.
He was also betrayed by surveillance cameras on the site. In the pictures you can see him carrying the bag throughout the evening. However, when police arrived, he sneaked towards the toilet and returned less than two minutes later without his fashion accessory.
Photo courtesy of the court
The now 35-year-old defendant has now admitted that he obtained the weapon for protective purposes. At the same time, two of his wife’s brothers, who had connections to organized crime, disappeared. He said he felt an imminent threat to his family.
The only appropriate punishment
The man, who had no criminal record and a good job, was hoping to serve his sentence of house arrest. But despite his good profile and the perceived low risk of reoffending, the judge sentenced him to two years in prison instead.
“The need for denunciation and deterrence is so urgent that imprisonment is the only appropriate punishment to express society’s disapproval.” [de son] to stop behavior and to prevent similar behavior in the future,” the judge said.
According to him, the defendant showed great recklessness with regard to public safety and exposed his fellow citizens to “real and imminent danger”, especially given that the weapon was loaded.
“A simple pull of the trigger, even if accidental or negligent, could have resulted in tragic consequences,” he wrote, recalling that the sole purpose of owning a firearm is to use it “when necessary to injure others.” to injure or kill.”
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