3 Ontarians to have big P.E.I. drug seizure case heard in Supreme Court
Police estimated street value of seized fentanyl, crystal meth, cocaine at $665,000
The three people from Ontario accused in one of the largest drug busts in Prince Edward Island history will have their case heard in the P.E.I. Supreme Court after one of the accused people made that choice for the group without the other two being on board.
Jabari London, 21; Kimberley Elbourne, 24; and Angel Barnett, 24, all came to the province from Ontario. Charlottetown Police arrested them during a targeted traffic stop on March 10.
After their roadside arrest, police went to a home in Stratford and seized a relatively large quantity of illegal drugs for the province: 2.8 kg of crystal meth, a kilogram of fentanyl and 736 grams of cocaine.
Charlottetown Police estimated the street value at about $665,000.
London's lawyer appeared on his behalf Thursday and told Chief Provincial Court Judge Jeff Lantz that his client was electing to have a trial in the P.E.I. Supreme Court in front of a judge alone.
The shared legal aid lawyer for Elbourne and Barnett said her clients wanted their case to stay in provincial court. However, since the three people are charged together, Lantz said the case will have to go to Supreme Court for all three given London's choice.
They will make their first appearance in that court next month. No pleas have been entered.
Still in jail
London, Elbourne and Barnett have been in jail since their arrest in March, each facing three drug trafficking charges.
All three qualified for legal aid, but only the two women are being represented by a legal aid staff lawyer. That office hired an outside criminal defence lawyer to represent London due to a conflict of interest.
This is a standard practice so that all clients can be properly represented without lawyers feeling competing loyalties — if one accused person blames another, for example.
London, Elbourne and Barnett, who are all being held in the Provincial Correctional Centre outside of Charlottetown, are not allowed to speak to one another while the case is before the courts.
Barnett and Elbourne both appeared virtually in court on Thursday, sitting side by side in the jail's video room in their blue sweatsuits. They were brought into the room separately, so that they did not have any chance to speak off camera.
Both women have had bail hearings since their arrest. After hours of separate arguments, both were denied release.
What was said at the hearings is under a publication ban until the case is resolved.