Drug smuggling suspect elects trial by judge

A southern Alberta man accused of trying to smuggle drugs into Alberta from the United States late last year is finally ready to go to trial.

Kuldeep Singh has elected to be tried by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge, and have a preliminary hearing, which will determine whether there is enough evidence against him to warrant a trial.

An agent for the accused’s lawyer appeared in Lethbridge provincial court Thursday and agreed to adjourn the case to May 24, when a date for the preliminary hearing will likely be scheduled. In the meantime, the Crown and defence will meet for a pre-trial conference to iron out details for a possible trial.

Singh, 39, is charged under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act with two counts of importing drugs and two counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The charges stem from an incident Dec. 17, 2017 when officers with the Canada Border Services Agency intercepted at the Coutts border a commercial vehicle hauling produce from California to an Alberta business. While examining the vehicle, officers found 17 bricks of suspected cocaine weighing 21 kilograms, enough for more than 20,000 hits, an official reported.

The bricks were discovered in a closet inside the cab of the truck, and CBSA officers arrested the driver and turned him and the suspected cocaine over to the RCMP.

The accused, who did not attend Thursday’s court hearing, is not in custody, but he has been ordered to report weekly to the RCMP and live at a specific address in Chestermere, just east of Calgary.