Charges dismissed against former Bomber

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/06/2010 (5883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba judge has dismissed criminal charges against a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber on the grounds the wheels of justice have moved too slowly in getting the case to trial.

Eddie Blake was one of 17 people arrested September 2004 after a series of police raids in Winnipeg that targeted a network which allegedly purchased large amounts of ephedrine from a Thunder Bay company and repackaged it to sell on the black market. Ephedrine is used to make the street drug crystal methamphetamine and police say it was being smuggled from Canada into the United States.

RCMP and the American Drug Enforcement Administration alleged the ring was one of the major distribution networks in Canada, if not all of North America, that supplied ephedrine to drug labs in California connected to the Mexican mafia.

Blake, 41, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to produce methamphetamine and weapons offences after police seized more than $170,000 in cash and a loaded firearm from his residence. He has always claimed he is innocent and was set to go on trial in January 2011. The majority of the other accused, both in Canada and the U.S., have already dealt with their charges.

The case has dragged through the justice system for more than six years, due largely to the massive amounts of evidence that had to be disclosed to defence lawyers. Blake’s case had already been remanded 47 times when he appeared in March, arguing for a judicial stay of proceedings based on unreasonable delay.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin agreed with his position this week and threw out the case.

"I conclude that this is one of those clear cases that compels a judicial stay of proceedings. I so order," Martin wrote in his decision. "For Canadian police, this proved to be a massive inter-provincial undertaking involving surreptitious entry into various locations, interception of over 85,000 private communications. This was an immense undertaking by police. It required special consideration and diligence by the Crown to ensure it did not become stale and was not crushed by the sheer weight of its bulk."

Blake now lives in Nashville, Tenn. He said he works in construction and security.

At the time of his arrest Blake had stakes in four local businesses: a recording studio, local 24-hour hip-hop radio station Flava 107.9 FM and a security company. He also promoted boxing events.

He also used to run the now-closed Phat Daddy’s nightclub on McDermot Avenue and is a former offensive lineman for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

www.mikeoncrime.com