Trial set for three men facing drug and weapons charges

By Delon Shurtz on November 13, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

Three men charged with drug and weapon-related offences following a police bust in Lethbridge last January, are set to stand trial next year.
Lawyers appearing for Alfredo Joshua Barreira, Kevin Mitchell Coady and Kristopher Hironaka, were in Lethbridge provincial court Friday where they confirmed trial dates of July 4-8 and Sept. 6-7. The accused, court was told, previously pleaded not guilty and elected to be tried by a provincial court judge.
ALERT Lethbridge’s organized crime team concluded a lengthy drug trafficking investigation after officers simultaneously searched five homes on Jan. 21 in the neighbourhoods of Six Mile Coulee, Uplands, The Crossings, Legacy Ridge and Fairmont.
Police seized 10 firearms, four vehicles, $159,000 cash, and $250,000 worth of drugs, comprising 306 grams of cocaine, 39 grams of ketamine, 188 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 36 milliliters of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and 826 tabs of LSD.
“Organized crime harms our communities, and drug trafficking breeds violence, addiction, and ancillary crimes,” ALERT CEO Supt. Dwayne Lakusta said in a press release following the police raid. “This investigation is further testament to ALERT’s success in working alongside our partner agencies to disrupt and dismantle organized crime.” 
ALERT said the group was supplying drugs throughout Lethbridge and surrounding communities, and the seized firearms comprised a prohibited handgun, two shotguns, and seven rifles.
Hironaka faces two counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, and one count each of careless use/storage of a firearm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Coady and Barreria are charged with two counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, and one count of possession of stolen property.

Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter

4
-3