Professor Accuses Top Toronto Officer of Misleading Senate Committee TORONTO -- The chief of Toronto's police told a Senate committee yesterday that he is in favour of decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. However, Julian Fantino said he stands with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police "in firm opposition to any type of legalization of any and all current illicit drugs." Chief Fantino told the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs that narcotics, including marijuana, are the "staple commodities" of organized crime in the country. He cautioned the senators against regarding marijuana as a "soft drug." [continues 460 words]
Three Acquitted: Latest Blow To Reputation Of Toronto Police Drug Squad TORONTO - Three men on trial in an alleged multi-million-dollar cocaine trafficking conspiracy have been acquitted of all charges in part because the judge doubted some of the testimony of the key witness -- a senior Toronto police detective. In delivering her verdict yesterday, Justice Wailan Low said Detective David Caravella "bent the truth" during portions of his evidence. The defendants, Kurt Ianuzzo, Paul Vidotto and David Nobleman, were accused of conspiring to traffic anywhere from 175 to 750 kilograms of cocaine. They were arrested in late 1997 after a lengthy Toronto police investigation known as Project Dado. [continues 416 words]
Nine Toronto Police Officers Charged With Theft, Fraud, Trafficking TORONTO -- The federal Department of Justice has been forced to drop or put on hold at least 115 drug prosecutions since the fall of 1999 because of a widening scandal involving veteran Toronto police officers. The number of cases affected has more than doubled in the past year as a result of ongoing investigations and there are concerns that even more prosecutions may be jeopardized. Nine former members of the Toronto police force's Central Field Command Drug Squad currently face criminal charges. [continues 576 words]
TORONTO - The federal Department of Justice has been forced to drop or put on hold at least 115 drug prosecutions since the fall of 1999 because of a widening scandal involving veteran Toronto police officers. The number of cases affected has more than doubled in the past year due to ongoing investigations, and there are concerns that even more prosecutions may be jeopardized. Nine former members of the Toronto police force's Central Field Command Drug Squad currently face criminal charges. [continues 364 words]
Critics Condemn Ottawa For Spending Millions Of Taxpayers' Dollars Each Year In The Criminal Prosecution Of People Who Grow And Smoke Marijuana For Medical Use. But Justice Department Says It Is Merely Upholding The Rule Of Law It appeared to be another run-of-the-mill marijuana traffiking case, except for the people directly involved. In a Peterborough court this month, Justice Bruce Glass of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice acquitted 59-year-old Jim Calberry on charges of possession for the purposes of trafficking. Judge Glass said police misled a justice of the peace to obtain a search warrant for the August 1999 raid on Calberry's home and they violated the (sic) his rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by, among other things, not properly instructing him of his right to counsel. [continues 1159 words]
'All Presumed Innocent' - Eight Officers Facing Total Of 75 Charges Over Police Funds Several dozen drug trafficking cases may have to be dropped as a result of charges laid against eight Toronto police officers on Wednesday. The former members of the Central Field Command Drug Squad are accused of misappropriating police money in drug investigations. They face a combined 75 charges, including fraud and theft. "All the officers are presumed innocent," stressed David Littlefield, a Crown attorney with the federal Department of Justice, which looks after drug cases. [continues 319 words]
