High-profile Saint John drug trial to hear from secret police agent

A high-profile drug trial in Saint John is set to shift gears next week as Crown prosecutors start to present evidence in the case and their star witnessa former Saint John restaurant owner with a self-confessed history of involvement with organized crime figures is scheduled to testify.

The businessman's identity is protected by a publication ban.

Shane Williams and Joshua Kindred are on trial for drug possession, drug trafficking and conspiracy charges following their arrest two years ago in a major interprovincialpolice operation, known as J-Tornado.

Their trial began nearly three weeks ago, but has been bogged down in side issues and swamped in enormous volumes of evidence that has taken days to be entered for identification in court.

The last of that evidence a Blackberry smartphone used by the formerrestaurant owner wasreceived and marked by the court on Friday morning.

Beginning next week, the Crown will begin to lay out its case against Williams and Kindred and show how the former restaurateurnow says he was also associating with criminals and dabbling in drugs and guns.

13 convictions so far

The man in questionwas hired in 2014 as a "police agent" as part of OperationJ-Tornado.

He agreed to assist in what turned out to be the arrest of 33 people that September, including 28 charged with Criminal Code offences in three provinces. In exchange, the agentwas offered a series of payments that could eventually total $600,000.

So far, 13 people have been convicted and sentenced to prison to terms ranging between two and eight years, including the latest this week.

Tamara Jones, a drug dealer from Seeleys Cove in Charlotte County, and the only woman arrested in the case, was sentenced to threeyears in prison during a provincial court hearing in Saint John on Thursday.

A number of other J-Tornado cases are still working their way through the court system, including Williams's and Kindred's.

Paid $6K per month

According to police affidavits now on the court record, the restaurant owner recruited to help police had connections to organized crime figures in Montreal and had been involved in illegal drug and gun activities dating back to 2002.

According to those swornaffidavits, the agentwas initially paid about $1,000 per month by drug dealersfor referring customers to them, and later became more deeply involved in their affairs.

"Between 2002-2005 he would receive payment for persons approaching him looking for a supply of illegal drugs.Later between 2005 and 2007 [he]would make between $20,000 and $30,000 a year illegally from the sale of cocaine, hashish, pills and guns," saidRCMPConst. ErikFolmerin anaffidavitsubmitted to court explaining the agent's background.

According toFolmer'saccount, the agentdid a lot of illegal business with Williams, whom he will now have to testify against.

Police say Williams and the agentmade "six to seven" trips to Montreal to transport drugs and guns over a period of years and as law enforcement launched a majorinterprovincialdrug investigation into Williams and dozens of other suspects inOperationJ-Tornado, the agentwas recruited, first as a police informant, and later as a paid police agent.

According to the terms of his hiring as an agent, disclosed in documents also submitted to court, the agentwas paid $6,000 per month between March and September of 2014 to help gather evidence againstJ-Tornadosuspects.

He was made to participate in "scenarios" where he would arrange to buy and sell drugs with various people as police recorded the encounters, including in hisSaint Johnhome, which was outfitted with cameras and recording equipment.

The agent also distributed Blackberrysmartphonesto suspects that police had rigged so they could intercept messages.

In addition to his monthly fee, the agentwas also promised three separate payments up to a "maximum" of $174,666.66 each for achieving certain milestones.

One payment was to be made following the arrest of suspects in September 2014, one at the conclusion of all preliminary inquiries, and one at the conclusion "of all legal proceedings including appeals."

The agent is also entitled to expenses, including "transportation, beverages and accommodation," and has been promised police protection when he is required in court.

I recognize that because of my involvement in this investigation I may be placing my own life and the lives of my family members in danger.- Police contract signed by secret agent

To get all of the money, the agentis required to testify at all hearings of suspects he helped investigate.Several of those hearings are still ongoing.

When he was an informant, the agentwas promised his identity would be kept confidential, but after agreeing to become a police agent, he signed contracts and waivers acknowledging he understood the consequences of what he was doing, including that his identity might become public through court proceedings.

"I recognize that because of my involvement in this investigation I may be placing my own life and the lives of my family members in danger," states the contract, which is initialed by the agenton each page.

"If any legal proceedings arise, information submitted as evidence in court will become public record and this information as it pertains toJ-Tornadomay identify me as having co-operated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police."

Crown prosecutors hadreleased the police agent'sname in an earlier case. Butduring the ongoing trial ofWilliams and Kindred, prosecutors had secondthoughts about the agent'sidentitybeing public and successfully applied for a mid-trial publication ban.