Crown withdraws drug charges

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on March 17, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge man who was preparing to stand trial on several drug-related offences, is no longer facing criminal charges after the Crown withdrew them Thursday during a brief hearing in Lethbridge provincial court.

Serafim Soshalskiy, 26, was facing four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possession of cannabis for the purpose of unlawful distribution, possession of the proceeds of crime, possession of body armour without a permit and unlawfully selling/transporting/delivering or distributing a tobacco product.

Although the Crown prosecutor didn’t provide the court with a reason for the withdrawal of charges, he said afterward it was determined there was no reasonable prospect of conviction after the prosecution reviewed new disclosure received only days before a trial was to begin last month, but adjourned.

The charges stem from a police investigation more than a year ago into drug trafficking from a residence across the street from an elementary school.

On Dec. 6, 2021 the priority crime unit, the crime suppression team and the downtown policing unit, searched a home in the 3300 block of Lakeridge Boulevard South. They reportedly seized $187,000 worth of drugs comprising prescription narcotics and more than 950 grams of cocaine, 930 grams of psilocybin, nearly eight kilograms of marijuana, 181 packages of edibles, and 24 grams of methamphetamine. Police also seized $20,100 in cash, body armour and a shotgun and ammunition.

Police said a man was subsequently arrested in connection with the matter during a targeted traffic stop.

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