B.C. POLITICAL AIDE CAUGHT IN DRUG RAID ON CANADA DAY

Victoria Police Charge Marshall Smith With Trafficking In Crystal Meth

A political aide who has worked with several cabinet ministers in the
provincial government was charged with drug trafficking in Victoria on
Canada Day.

Police arrested Marshall Smith in a vehicle Thursday afternoon during
a routine patrol of a downtown area of Victoria that is frequented by
drug users and traffickers, said Const. Rick Anthony of the Victoria
police department.

Anthony said the arrest came after two plainclothes officers watched
another male they recognized approach Smith's car and get in.

Smith, who police described as working for the government, was charged
with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of
trafficking.

That substance was a small amount of crystal methamphetamine, Anthony
said.

The male in the passenger seat was also arrested and charged, but no
details were available, he said.

The men were "very co-operative, there was no confrontation," Anthony
said.

Smith appeared in court Friday afternoon, but police didn't know if he
was released or not. He will be back in court at a later date.

The man's occupation had no bearing on the arrest, Anthony said.
Police had no idea he worked for government until after the arrest,
when it came up, Anthony said.

"He's not known to police, he wasn't being targeted by us and we have
no idea who he is. It was just a good piece of police work by two
veteran officers," Anthony said.

"It was part of a routine drug investigation at the street level."

The 32-year-old Smith has been a ministerial assistant to several
provincial ministers.

He was first an assistant to Minister of State Ted Nebbeling, who had
responsibility for the province's role in the bid for the 2010 Winter
Olympics.

He later worked for Dr. Gulzar Cheema, who resigned in May as minister
of state for mental health to run as a Liberal candidate in the
federal election.

Smith was nominally re-assigned to a third minister, but has been on
medical leave for about three weeks, Solicitor-General Rich Coleman
confirmed Friday.

"He was getting some help for some problems," Coleman said.

"I can't say much more than that," Coleman added.

Government spokesman Andy Orr said Smith is now suspended without
pay.

Coleman said there is no need for the appointment of a special
prosecutor and Smith's case will be handled routinely by the judicial
system and the Victoria city police.

Coleman is routinely notified when cases of interest arise. Police
contacted him when Smith's occupation was discovered.

Associates in the close-knit legislature community described Smith as
a hip, urbane, high-energy aide who performed his job with keen
political instincts.

He put his name forward for one of the many ministerial assistant jobs
that opened up when the Liberals took power in June, 2001.

He was formally hired by Premier Gordon Campbell's chief of staff and
was appointed by cabinet order to assist Nebbeling. When Nebbeling was
removed from cabinet, Smith went to work for Cheema.

Coleman said there is no relation between Smith's case and the search
of the B.C. legislature last year that was related to a drug
investigation.

Dave Basi and Bob Virk, both former aides, had their legislature
offices raided on Dec. 28, 2003.

RCMP have disclosed little about those raids, but have said they were
related to two linked investigations: one a political breach-of-trust
probe and the other involving drugs and organized crime.

Basi, an assistant to Finance Minister Gary Collins, was fired the day
after the raid, and Virk, an aide to former transportation minister
Judith Reid, was suspended with pay.