Alleged cocaine trafficker awaits bail hearing

A man accused of masterminding a large-scale interprovincial cocaine trafficking ring out of Prince Albert will have to wait for a decision on his bail after a hearing yesterday morning, Dec. 1. 

Kole Michael Marchant, 28, faces charges including conspiracy to traffic cocaine, possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000 and possession of marijuana.

The case came before the courts after a five-month investigation by officers from Saskatchewan’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). Officers seized more than a kilogram of cocaine and arrested six other alleged co-conspirators on Nov. 20, including two Edmonton men.

A provincial courtroom heard details of the investigation, which included undercover work, human and video surveillance, vehicle tracking, and telephone intercepts. Crown Prosecutor Dan Heffernan called Marchant the “mastermind” of a “massive cocaine trafficking organization” which involved bringing drugs from Alberta to P.A. for distribution.

The court heard investigators discovered a trend in which an Alberta-registered vehicle would allegedly make “regular, brief visits” to several of the accused. Undercover CFSEU officers made several multi-ounce cocaine purchases from a person Crown said was associated with Marchant. Police also obtained a videotaped statement by another alleged conspirator along with a series of text-messages which suggested Marchant was the organization’s ringleader.

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Marchant, the court heard, made regular cash deposits into a bank account despite having no known employment, and allegedly paid $11,000 in cash when purchasing a new truck.

“That’s an unusual way of paying for a new truck, to say the least,” Heffernan said.

A bail verification report was ordered at a previous hearing, with consideration to electronic monitoring. Since then, however, Marchant was evicted from his residence.

Judge Steven Schiefner ordered the same report be conducted on Marchant’s father’s farm, and reserved his decision on Marchant’s bail until reading the new information.

The accused will be back in court Dec. 8.

Taylor.MacPherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews