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Two accused consent to trial for record drug bust

Mar 12, 2018 | 12:40 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Two men accused in what Lethbridge Police have called a record drug bust for our city, have consented to stand trial.

At the outset of a scheduled preliminary inquiry on Monday, Mar. 12, to determine if there was enough evidence for the matter to proceed to trial, 30-year-old Alexander Herbert and 28-year-old Drew Boake consented to commit to trial by judge alone in Court of Queen’s Bench.

As part of the consent committal, the 25 counts against the two men has been reduced to three counts for each – possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Boake alone faces a charge of possession of proceeds of crime. The remaining counts were then withdrawn by the Crown prosecutor.

With the election made to Court of Queen’s Bench, the case was then adjourned to Apr. 23, at which time a trial date may be scheduled.

The charges stem from an investigation that started in December of 2016, when ALERT received information regarding a group of suspected drug dealers operating in Lethbridge. Then, on Feb. 11, 2017, a vehicle was stopped on Highway 3 just outside the city as it was allegedly returning from the B.C. lower mainland.

Search warrants were then executed at three west side homes and another on the north side, resulting in charges against Boake, Herbert, and Katlyn Robinson. It was noted in court on Monday, that all of the charges against Robinson were later withdrawn by the Crown.

Police say various drugs with an estimated street value of $1.2-million were recovered from the homes, along with $120,000 in cash, four firearms and four vehicles.

Boake and Herbert are currently out on $10,000 cash bail, each, with conditions that they have no contact with each other and abide by a curfew.