Drug charges resolved from six years back

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on August 12, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 28-year-old man who disappeared for six years after he was caught with drugs on the Blood Reserve, has finally been sentenced.

Barzan Ali Zalfo pleaded guilty Thursday in Lethbridge provincial court to two counts of drug possession and was sentenced to five days in jail, which represents time he has already spent in custody on the charges.

Court was told police were called to help inspect a house on the Blood Reserve on July 21, 2016 because there were people in the house who were not wanted there. Police found Zalfo and another man in the home, as well as 14.5 grams of cocaine, which had been separated into small piles, and a small amount of marijuana. 

Seven days later police stopped a vehicle driven by Zalfo. Crown Prosecutor Chris Williams said Zalfo reached behind his seat for a bag and placed it beside him on the passenger seat. The bag contained nearly $4,000 in cash, and during a search of the accused, police noticed something hidden under his pants near his thigh, and a bag containing 20 grams of cocaine fell out when he shook his leg.

Williams pointed out Zalfo is currently in custody on unrelated matters, and while in custody he contacted his lawyer and said he was wanted on warrants relating to the six-year-old charges and wanted to deal with them.

Lethbridge lawyer Tracy Hembroff said Zalfo, who has a five-year-old son in Winnipeg, Man., came to Canada from Iraq many years ago. She said her client will be in custody for several more months, but will be eligible for parole later in the year.

Williams noted that even though the charges would normally warrant a longer jail sentence, he recommended a short sentence because the matters are old and the Crown’s case would have had some issues had the matter gone to trial. He also took into consideration the unrelated sentence Zalfo is currently serving.

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