Multiple drug charges dropped against accused

By Lethbridge Herald on May 20, 2022.

Delon Shurtz
Lethbridge Herald

A trial has been cancelled and charges withdrawn relating to three Lethbridge men arrested more than a year ago following a police raid on several Lethbridge homes.

Kristopher Hironaka, Kevin Coady and Josh Barreira were set to stand trial in July and September on several criminal charges, but the trial was cancelled last week during a brief hearing in Lethbridge provincial court. During a subsequent court hearing Thursday, charges against the three men were withdrawn, as well.

Hironaka was facing charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of stolen property over $5,000, careless use/storage of a firearm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Coady and Barreira were charged with two counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of stolen property over $5,000.

The charges stem from police raids Jan. 21, 2021 on five homes in the neighbourhoods of Sixmile Coulee, Uplands, The Crossings, Legacy Ridge, and Fairmont. Police arrested five people and seized 10 firearms and nearly a quarter of a million dollars worth of drugs, cash, and vehicles.

The drugs, police reported at the time, comprised 306 grams of cocaine, 39 grams of ketamine, 188 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 36 milliliters of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and 826 tabs of LSD. Four vehicles and $159,000 cash were also seized. The firearms comprised a prohibited handgun, two shotguns, and seven rifles.

The drugs and other items seized during the raid, with some exceptions, including several cellphones, were forfeited to the Crown.

Charges against two other accused, Thane Dahlseide and Willie Tailfeathers of Lethbridge, remain before the court.