Abbotsford cop stuffed cash in his sock during a bust — he still didn’t ruin a drug trial
An Abbotsford cop stuffed money in his sock during a bust that found $46,000 in cash, weapons and drugs.
But despite what the raided party’s lawyer said, it wasn’t enough to stop a drug trafficking trial from going ahead.
WATCH: New video of police officer allegedly stealing drug money

A judge decided on Monday morning that a drug trafficking trial involving suspect Brian MacDonald would go ahead, despite the actions of a police officer that could have compromised the proceedings.
MacDonald faces eight charges following a November raid that saw the seizure of two kilograms of drugs including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.
READ MORE: Abbotsford cop who stashed cash on sock may have compromised drug trafficking trial
During the raid, a hidden camera caught a police officer walking into a room, picking up some money and then putting it back down on a table.
Video later showed a police officer bending down, allegedly to stuff money in his sock.
The officer in question, who has not been identified by name, testified that he put the money in his sock as a practical joke.
That was enough for MacDonald’s lawyer, Ken Beatch, to argue for a stay of proceedings, calling it an “egregious breach of the trust we place in our police officers.”
On Monday, a judge said the officer’s conduct was serious, but that he acted alone — and his actions weren’t enough to compromise the justice system’s integrity.
Ergo, the trial will proceed.
“How many police officers do we need stealing money before a judge says the proceeding should be stopped?” Beatch asked, in an interview with Global News.
“I have to reflect on that.”
READ MORE: Abbotsford cop who stuffed cash in sock during drug raid says it was a ‘joke’
MacDonald has a chance to appeal the ruling, but Beatch isn’t yet certain whether they’ll go that route.
“It’s too early to say,” Beatch said.
Asked whether he felt the officer’s action contaminated the crime scene, Beatch responded, “it contaminated the justice system.”
As for the officer, he remains on administrative duties.
Another court hearing is expected on June 19.
© 2018 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Editor's Picks

Ontario's startling election in eight before-and-after maps

Targeted killings of Canadian ISIS members cloaked in secrecy, but officials discussed issue

Calls mount for probe of Wynne government casino contracts that 'smelled of backroom deals'

The big risk from Trump's tariffs is Canadian firms scrapping their investment plans

What U.S. steel, aluminum tariffs mean for Canadians — and their wallets

EXCLUSIVE: Liberals ignored green energy advice that could've saved Ontarians billions, lead engineer says

Coalition forces in Syria, Iraq targeted three Canadians, secret document says

Comments
Comments closed.
Due to the sensitive and/or legal subject matter of some of the content on globalnews.ca, we reserve the ability to disable comments from time to time.
Please see our Commenting Policy for more.