A Whitehorse man was sentenced this morning to 236 days in custody for the possession of drugs with the purpose of trafficking.

Jayson Urton, 36, was arrested in Whitehorse on last Jan. 13 on a charge of possession with the intent to traffic. He was in possession of just more than 3.8 kilograms of marijuana and 30 viles of hash oil.

Whitehorse RCMP were informed by a confidential source that Urton would be arriving in the city via a Greyhound bus with the drugs; he was on probation in B.C. at the time.

Urton was later released on bail.

In May, Urton was arrested again and charged with the possession of marijuana and with breaching court orders associated with his January arrest.

The rearrest occurred after police were called to Riverdale in response to a disturbance involving a severely intoxicated male.

Urton was sentenced to 30 days for each charge related to his May arrest, to be served concurrently with the 236-day sentence.

On Tuesday, Urton's defence lawyer, Malcolm Campbell, asked for a nine-month conditional sentence for his client.

The request included house arrest except for work, 40 hours of community service, and the ability to return to B.C. to visit his ailing father.

The Crown prosecutor, Jennifer Grandy, argued that considering Urton reoffended twice while under court order, a conditional sentence wasn't appropriate.

Urton's cell phone was taken by police at the time of his January arrest and Grandy, noted Tuesday that numerous text messages were found that indicated he had been involved in for-profit drug trafficking for an extended period of time.

Grandy also noted that Whitehorse's location and size should be considered in Urton's sentencing, adding that the amount of drugs he was apprehended with last January is significant to a community this size.

Campbell responded that the "small northern town” argument hasn't applied to Whitehorse in some time.

The defence also noted that when Urton was arrested in May, he had just found out his father had been placed in palliative care, adding that he had complied with court orders up to that point.

Campbell said he wasn't offering that as an excuse, rather an explanation.

Grandy also argued that providing a conditional sentence where Urton would live in Whitehorse but be permitted to travel for sometimes long periods to B.C. to visit his father would essentially be allowing him to live in the manner that allowed for the drug trafficking in the first place.

The sentencing was presided over by Justice Michael Block, a visiting judge from Ontario.

Today, Block told Urton he understood he was in a difficult situation but that the sad part was he put himself there.

Before the sentencing was adjourned Tuesday, Urton apologized for his actions, saying he got into a tough situation. He added he'd like to start over again.