DRUG CHARGES DROPPED

Edmonton Firefighter Testifies For Prosecution

CALGARY -- Drug charges against an Edmonton firefighter were dropped
yesterday, moments before he became a witness for the prosecution.

Michael Prangley had been accused of possession of marijuana for the
purpose of trafficking and cultivating the drug in connection with a Feb.
21, 2001 bust in Calgary.

But Crown prosecutor Bob Sigurdson dropped those charges and then called
Prangley as a witness against his former co-accused, Monah Boury.

Prangley testified he kept a business suite in southeast Calgary which
contained about 100 immature "clone" marijuana plants when police raided
it. He said it was accessible to Boury.

Prangley told Sigurdson that Boury was the only person with a key and alarm
code to the suite and he hadn't been to the premises himself for at least
four days.

The Edmonton firefighter used the suite for his T-shirt artworks company,
Anteater Play Studios.

Prangley was charged following a police raid at 3628 Burnsland Rd. S.E.
which netted 127 plants worth an estimated $177,800.

Const. Iwan Munnikhuis said he obtained a search warrant for the building
after police received a Crime Stoppers tip.

Munnikhuis testified he climbed on top of the building in the early morning
hours of Feb. 21 and through a vent detected the smell of growing marijuana.

After being spotted by an occupant of the building, he and his partner
climbed down from the roof and went to get a warrant to search the interior.

Defence lawyer Jim Conley is challenging the legality of the warrant.

Prangley is expected to be cross-examined by Conley today.