JUDGE CALLS FOR HASTE, BUT DRUG CASES DRAG ON

Thirteen Cases Still Before the Courts

CORNER BROOK - The bulk of matters relating to a major drug bust in
western Newfoundland nearly two years ago continue to be set over in
the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.

There have been some convictions since the rash of arrests July 2005,
which saw some 20 people arrested on numerous drug-related charges
stemming from the investigation into the alleged distribution of
controlled substances such as cocaine, hashish, ecstasy and marijuana
on the west coast of the province. The range of charges include
conspiracy to traffic, possession, trafficking and production.

Despite some convictions, there are 13 individuals whose cases are
still before the courts.

In the Supreme Court here Monday, those remaining cases were called.
Most of them were set over until the next arraignment date, May 7.
Considering several people are charged on a number of different
information sheets and some are charged jointly with other
individuals, the matters are complex to deal with. The issues arising
include the consolidation of joint trials and the individual
elections of trial by judge or trial by judge and jury.

Justice Richard LeBlanc told the two lawyers representing three
jointly accused, who were looking for their next court date to be
scheduled for late October, and the Crown prosecutor handling that
particular case that he would like to have the matters set for
earlier than the fall.

"A trial is not going to happen until 2008 at the rate things are
going," noted Justice LeBlanc.

Though the judge agreed to reserve Oct. 29-30 to hear the
applications the defence intends to file with the court, Justice
LeBlanc said he wanted to have a teleconference next week with the
lawyers involved to see if something else could be worked out. The
matters will be called again May 7 to formally update the court.

In separate matters involving a total of 10 individuals, and which
involve different combinations of those individuals charged on
different information sheets, Justice LeBlanc said some case
management was needed. Since he is not going to be the trial judge
for those cases, he said he would be meeting with all of the lawyers
representing these individuals, either separately or together via a
teleconference, if required, to find out what direction each of the
parties intends to take.

"There needs to be some co-ordination," said Justice LeBlanc, noting
that these cases would take up unnecessary court time without some
sort of case management approach.