NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors in New York say a Canadian drug kingpin who was one of New York’s biggest marijuana suppliers has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for leading a $1 billion international drug trafficking enterprise.
Jimmy Cournoyer (koor-nwah-YEH’) — dubbed the “pot playboy” — pleaded guilty in May 2013 to charges including conspiracies to manufacture and distribute marijuana and cocaine, and money laundering.
The 34-year-old Quebec native was sentenced Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court. Prosecutors say his Montreal-based organization had ties to organized crime and drug cartels.
Authorities say proceeds financed a lifestyle that included a supermodel girlfriend and a super-expensive car — the Bugatti Veyron.
Prosecutors say Cournoyer had a $2 million “hit fund” to punish those who cooperated with authorities.
