High-profile drug trials will take place in the coming months

Some high-profile drug trafficking cases from 2016 will head to trial this year — including the one surrounding the first appearance of “purple meth” in Medicine Hat.

Defence lawyers for Wayne Arthur Shrubsall and Joshua Munroe stated Thursday they would proceed to trial over the numerous charges the pair face.

A not-guilty plea was entered on Munroe’s behalf by counsel, with the request to be tried before provincial court. A multi-day trial is expected, while a pretrial conference will also needed. Munroe was arrested alongside Shrubsall on Aug. 17, marking the first appearance of “purple meth” in Medicine Hat.

There have been delays in moving forward with the cases, in part because Shrubsall had been represented by one lawyer for months, and this lawyer had been working on a plea deal for all the charges. Shrubsall fired this lawyer in January.

At Shrubsall’s last appearance, his new counsel stated there was issues over receiving disclosure — but this has since been solved, and they will be proceeding to trial. Alongside charges surrounding purple meth, Shrubsall has other trafficking charges from Saskatchewan.

Munroe and Shrubsall will both be back in court on March 30, to set dates for further proceedings.

Munroe is currently on release, while Shrubsall remains in custody.

Preliminary hearings