Pre-trial conference set in court case for Sault's largest-ever fentanyl bust

A pre-trial conference is set in Ontario Superior Court for three people indicted in the Sault’s largest-ever fentanyl bust to date. 

The private pre-trial meeting concerning the high-profile court case involving Richard Brewster, Leyla Ibrahim and Tequar Jones is scheduled to take place Feb. 21 before the matter returns to the courtroom the following week.  

A pre-trial conference is a closed-door meeting between the judge, defence and Crown that is held in either a pre-trial conference room, judges’ chambers or other suitable room in the courthouse where a discussion of the issues raised in the proceedings can take place. If the case continues after the pre-trial, it is likely that a date for trial will be set. 

Brewster, Ibrahim and Jones were initially facing charges in the Ontario Court of Justice for their alleged roles in trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Sault Ste. Marie and possessing more than $5,000 in cash obtained by crime.    

Those charges have been transferred to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice — reserved for the most serious criminal offences in Ontario — after the trio was indicted last month, court documents show. 

Approximately $470,000 worth of narcotics was seized by Sault Ste. Marie Police Service in January 2023 while executing search warrants in the 600 block of MacDonald Avenue, including 700 grams of fentanyl — a record one-time seizure by police in the Sault. Stacks of cash totalling roughly $74,000 and a motor vehicle were also seized in the bust.  

Another $620,000 in drugs was seized following searches in Oshawa and Whitby as part of Project Otter, a joint operation between Sault Police, Durham Regional Police Service and Thunder Bay Police Service that took more than $1 million in drugs off the streets in all.   

None of the allegations have been tested in court and the accused in the case are considered innocent unless proven guilty. 

Five people were charged as a result. 

The two remaining accused in the Sault’s biggest fentanyl bust — Maurice Fidd and O’Shane Davis-Forbes, both of whom had been out on bail for similar trafficking-related charges in Sudbury and the Sault prior to their arrests last January — have not been indicted in Superior Court. 

A pair of charges against Davis-Forbes for his alleged role for trafficking drugs in the Sault were withdrawn in September, court records show. Fidd, meanwhile, will continue to have his case heard in the Ontario Court of Justice, with a court appearance scheduled in Sault Ste. Marie this month.

Meanwhile, Brewster — an alleged member of the Toronto Driftwood Crips who’s also known in some circles as hip hop artist ‘Richie Stacks’ — is facing additional charges in both the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court for allegedly being in possession of a stolen vehicle during his time in Sault Ste. Marie. 

The 42-year-old was originally arrested and charged by Sault Ste. Marie Police Service on November 4, 2022 for allegedly having a stolen car in his possession and being without a driver’s licence or car insurance. The pre-trial phase in the Ontario Court of Justice concerning the criminal charge of allegedly possessing a stolen vehicle is slated to begin in March.