Charges withdrawn in drug case
By Delon Shurtz on September 28, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com A B.C. man who was all set to stand trial next year in relation to a 2020 drug bust in Lethbridge, is no longer facing criminal charges.Michael Kebede Abate was scheduled to stand trial beginning Jan. 31, 2021 on single charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000. However, during a brief hearing last week in Lethbridge provincial court the charges were withdrawn by the federal Crown.
“There’s no reasonable prospect for a conviction,” Crown Prosecutor Mark Klassen told court.
Abate had pleaded not guilty to the charges in June, and elected to be tried by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge and jury, with a preliminary hearing.
Last November police investigating drug activity witnessed illegal drug transactions and searched two vehicles and a home in the 2000 block of Westside Drive. They reportedly seized more than 90 grams of cocaine, worth more than $9,000, and more than $7,400 in cash.
Abate was charged but later released on $5,000 bail, and ordered to live at a specific address in Burnaby, B.C., obey a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day, report weekly by phone to the Lethbridge Police Service, abstain from possessing weapons and consuming alcohol and drugs, avoid contact with several individuals, and stay out of Lethbridge except to attend court or meet with his lawyer.
Although the charges were withdrawn, drugs and other items seized by police in connection with the investigation were forfeited to the Crown for destruction. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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