Jarrod Bacon drug trafficking trial underway

A trial for one of the notorious Bacon brothers began in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Wednesday with arguments over the credibility of a key witness for the Crown.

Jarrod Bacon and co-accused Arnold Wayne Scott are charged with conspiracy totraffick cocaine. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Bacon's lawyer Jeff Ray began the day by asking the court to exclude two August 2009 wiretaps involving a police agent. The defence says the agent, who can't be identified, is a drug smuggler who approached police in 2009 with a get-rich scheme.

The defence alleges the agent had defaulted on his mortgage days earlier and came to police with a plan where he would approach Bacon and Scott with a plan to sell them cocaine.

The defence says the drug smuggler was either paid or promised $300,000 by police for testifying at this trial and two others.

The defence wants to have wiretap evidence thrown out, saying this was an informant of dubious reliability and police should not have given the go-ahead based on his evidence.

Bacon appeared via video link from the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre while Scott, who is out on bail, appeared in person.

The trial, being heard by a judge alone, is expected to last until Oct. 28.

Bacon and Scott were arrested in November 2009 following a nine-month investigation.

The men are accused of trying to make a deal with undercover police to smuggle 100 kilograms of cocaine into B.C. Police alleged the men put down a $100,000 deposit on the expected $3-million cocaine shipment.

Jarrod Bacon's younger brother, Jamie Bacon,is charged in the Surrey Six slayings. He has been charged in connection with the 2007 shooting that left six dead in a Surrey, B.C., high rise but has yet to stand trial.

The eldest Bacon brother, Jonathan Bacon, waskilled in a targeted shootingin Kelowna, B.C., in August.