Drug trafficking trial held up by last minute change

A wrench has been thrown into a drug trafficking trial at the last minute.

Jade Tyler Napope’s trial for possession and possession for the purpose of trafficking was set to run and finish on Monday.

Last year an officer arrested him in Prince Albert near Ecole Holy Cross.

Napope, 28, had outstanding warrants for his arrest. In addition, drugs and a hefty sum of money was found in the truck he’d been driving.

This includes 10.2 grams of cocaine, 18.5 grams of marijuana, $5,730 in Napope’s pocket, and $16,030 in a bag found in the back of the truck.

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However, an attempt to enter a document into evidence to account for where the money came from led to a spirited back and forth between Napope’s defence Mary McAuley and Federal Crown prosecutor Sylvia Verkerk.

Judge H. Harradence did not accept the document as evidence on Monday.By the end of the day’s proceedings she decided not to have it qualified as evidence.

Four witnesses were called during the day, which included the arresting officer and a woman who was in the truck when Napope was arrested.

The arresting officer, Cst. Phil Dell told the court Napope told him “I just fixed” when they spoke. This was referring to “down,” a depressant drug.

Dell said he found a digital scale, silver batton, a large number of plastic baggies, and a folding knife in a backpack in the back seat of the truck.

According to testimony, 19-year-old Destiny Adam was found to have three “eight balls” of cocaine in her bra when a female officer arrived to the arrest scene to do a search.

The court heard this quantity of cocaine could be worth $750 to $900 on the street.

Detective Sgt. Tony Landry was described as an organized crime expert as he was called in as a witness by Verkerk.

At the conclusion of Verkerk’s questions he stated that based on the photographic evidence of what was found in the truck, there was “no doubt in my mind” the items were for the purpose of trafficking. This would be street level dealing, he told the court.

Adam’s testimony included her stating the cocaine had been for her personal use, and that Napope was unaware it was in the truck at the time.

Adam also said the third person in the truck, James Napope – Jade’s father – had received a residential school settlement cheque previously. It was for more than $100,000, she testified, and some of that money had been given to Jade.

Napope already pleaded guilty to six separate charges, including breaches of a conditional sentence order and a past failure to appear in court.

The case returned to court for closing arguments on Tuesday.

claskowski@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk