Trial date set for pair facing drug charges

Two people charged following a police drug bust last February are scheduled to stand trial next year.

During a hearing Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court, James Frederick Shaw and Jadeyn Tyeisha Cross pleaded not guilty to several charges and elected to be tried by a provincial court judge. The trial has been set for Jan. 8-10, 2018.

On Feb. 20 ALERT's organized crime and gang team, with the assistance of Lethbridge police and the RCMP, intercepted a vehicle just west of Lethbridge that was loaded with drugs and travelling from Calgary.

Following the traffic stop, police searched a home in the 1600 block of St. George Road North and seized more drugs. Police reported that the drugs, worth about $55,000, include 261 grams of methamphetamine, 57 grams of cocaine, 1.6 kilograms of marijuana, 76 grams of cannabis resin, 15 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, and nine grams of heroin. Some $2,555 in cash was also seized.

Shaw faces seven counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, and single charges of possession of stolen property and unauthorized possession of a weapon. Cross faces one count of drug possession and three counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.

A third accused, Sharon Nicole Voytko, is also charged with several drug offences. However, after failing to attend court on previous occasions, a warrant for her arrest was issued July 27.

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