Edmonton man facing drug charges re-elects for trial in Court of King’s Bench

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on July 12, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

An Edmonton man accused of selling drugs in Lethbridge, and who was set to stand trial in Lethbridge court of justice later this year, has changed his mind and will stand trial in Court of King’s Bench, instead.

Dehandre Mabior Sayed was set to have a voir dire – a mini trial within a trial – Aug. 14-16 to determine whether certain evidence could be entered into the trial proper. The actual trial was then set to run Sept. 9, 10, and 12 in the lower court.

However, the trials in August and September were cancelled Thursday and replaced with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 12. The hearing will determine if there is enough evidence to warrant the judge alone trial. If the judge commits the accused to stand trial, it may not occur until next year.

Sayed pleaded not guilty last December to two charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime. At the time, Calgary lawyer Kirsten Lancee told court the defence and Crown had been having resolution discussions in an attempt to avoid a trial, but were unable to reach an agreement.

Sayed was arrested and charged in March 2023 after Lethbridge police seized nearly $150,000 worth of drugs at a city residence.

A short-term investigation by the crime suppression team, led police to the arrest of the 21-year-old suspect, and during a search of a northside residence police reportedly found narcotic medications, about 625 gms of fentanyl worth $112,000, nearly 400 gms of cocaine worth $37,000, more than $3,100 cash and a vehicle.