In Court: Man facing drug, firearms charges after fentanyl bust will remain in jail
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on February 3, 2023.
https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews The man who police say had three kilograms of fentanyl in his car during a traffic stop last weekend will remain in custody until at least next week, but now has a lawyer. John Elford, 52, of Edmonton, made his first appearance in Medicine Hat Provincial Court earlier this week when he was remanded in custody. On Thursday, an agent for Calgary-based defence attorney Katherine Beyak told the court she had been retained through legal aid process to represent Elford, who is being held at the Medicine Hat Remand Centre. Elford faces federal drug possession and drug trafficking charges along with firearms charges relating to three long-guns police say they recovered from the man’s vehicle. He was arrested during a traffic stop on Redcliff Drive in the city during the overnight hours on Jan. 29 and also charged with breaching release conditions. He will next appear in court Feb. 9. Harassment trial A trial scheduled next week for a Cypress County man accused of uttering threats against two men last summer has been vacated as lawyers take a new look at the case, court heard Thursday. Anwar Kamaran was charged with the summary offences on Aug. 3, 2021 – the one-year anniversary of his sentencing on conviction of threatening and assaulting a business rival during a dispute over fuel prices in Walsh, Alta. That earned the gas station owner, who also ran in the 2015 provincial election, an eight-month jail sentence and two years probation. On Thursday, an agent for Calgary-based defence attorney Cale Ellis-Toddington asked the court to vacate hearing dates next week as new applications were planned. The matter will next be dealt with Feb. 16. 13-12
