J-Tornado's key witness questioned about relationship with RCMP

The lawyer for accused drug dealer Joshua Kindred launched an attack on the relationship between the Crown's key witness and the RCMP Wednesday, suggesting police turned a blind eye to the man's criminal behaviour, including potential tax evasion with RCMP money, in exchange for receiving questionable evidence against his client.

"Did the RCMP know you made money from drugs and cheque fraud," asked ReidChedore.

"Yes," said the witness, whose identity is the subject of a publication ban.

"Have you been prosecuted for anyof these crimes?"

"No," he said.

Shane Williams, 34 and Kindred, 39 have been on trial for various drug possession, trafficking and conspiracy charges since April.

They were among 28 arrested by police in 2014 as part of Operation J-Tornado, a three year long investigation into drug trafficking in New Brunswick.

The investigation depended heavily on evidence gathered by a Saint John businessman, and former friend of Williams, who police agreed to pay nearly $600,000 for six months work on the case and his eventual courtroom testimony.

Witness asked detailed questions

Chedore asked the man detailed questions about his past criminal activities and failure to declare income, both legal and illegal to the Canada Revenue Agency.

The witness acknowledged not filing any income tax returns for nine straight years between 2004 and 2012 until the RCMP demanded it before hiring him to work on J-Tornado in March 2014.

But when he did file all nine returns in January 2014 he said he left out business income from a convenience store and cell phone company he owned; rental income from a boarder in his house; money he earned as a police informant before J-Tornado and illegal income from both drug deals and cheque fraud.

Chedore asked him how much police had paid him as an informant before officially hiring him as an agent in March 2014.He said he wasn't sure and didn't like to guess.

"I find it incredulous you cannot remember any amount you were paid to be a snitch for police," said Chedore."Was it hundreds?"

Paid thousands work with police

"It would be thousands of dollars for the time," he replied.

In total he declared only $90,000 in income during the nine year period and has since failed to file returns for 2013 and 2014.

But Chedore was more interested in what hashappenedin 2014 when the man agreed to collect evidence for the J-Tornado investigation in exchange for a series of payments that will eventually total nearly $600,000.

Over $200,000 of that was paid in 2014 and the man said he had not declared that to the Canada Revenue Agency either because his RCMP handlers told him it was tax free.

"I asked about this and this is what they advised me," he said.

"Did you get that in a letter," asked Chedore.

"No, but it should be in a (police) recording," replied the witness.

Chedore suggested the man was getting such favourable treatment from the RCMP he was eager to help them make their case.

Inaccurate description given for accused

Under questioning from Chedore the man acknowledged he did not know Kindred well and once gave police a completelyinaccuratedescription of him as being heavily tattooed on both arms.

Chedore had Kindred stand in theprisonersbox and pull up his sleeves.

"Do you see anytattoos," asked Chedore.

"No," agreed the witness who said the description was from 2011 when he was acting as a police informant.

Part of the man's job was to distribute BlackBerry's to drug suspects that police had prepared so they could intercept messages between suspects.

The man, working under the direction of RCMP handlers, gave a phone to Williams to pass on to Kindred, but he was slow to take it.

'That was my job'

In intercepted messages read out in court Williams tells the man he does not think Kindred wants the device but the man encourages Williams to convince him.

Chedore and Williams' defence lawyer Brian Munro have been arguing no organized drug ring existed in Saint John until the RCMP created one by distributing interconnected phones to people considered suspects.

"You wanted to get the phones out there.You wanted to make your handlers happy," said Chedore.

"That was the job," said the witness.