RCMP gang expert testifies at Project Brazen trial

The Crown’s expert witness in a Brandon drug trial testified Tuesday that it’s not uncommon for drug trafficking groups to “compartmentalize” their organization — like the group targeted in Project Brazen.

RCMP Cpl. Tyler Johnson said what he means by compartmentalizing is using methods such as designating roles to specific people and using stash locations.

Johnson took the stand on the second day of Jerimiah Dambo’s trial in the Court of King’s Bench. Dambo was one of the 11 people arrested in Brandon Police Service’s Project Brazen in 2021 and is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Johnson, a member of the Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team, wasn’t involved in Project Brazen, but he’s been involved in other high level drug busts in Manitoba, including Project Debris and Project Dawgpound.

Johnson said when traditional investigative measures aren’t working, sometimes intercepting messages and phone calls as well as using wire taps — which BPS used in Project Brazen — can be a successful way to gather evidence on a sophisticated drug group.

“The more sophisticated, the harder they are to infiltrate,” he said. “Quite often, general traditional investigative avenues don’t work.”

When Crown attorney Julian Kim asked him why drug groups compartmentalize their organizations, Johnson said they don’t operate under the confines of the law, which means they have to look out for themselves.

“They’re at risk of being targeted by the police. They’re at risk of being targeted by rival drug traffickers,” Johnson said. “They have to insulate themselves.”

He said all drug groups have some form of “risk litigation,” whether it’s at the street level or more sophisticated.

Kim provided Johnson with a document containing various intercepted text messages between members of the drug group. Johnson translated the drug slang for the court.

Additionally, Kim asked him to estimate the price that different amounts of cocaine would sell for in Brandon at the time of the operation. Johnson estimated a gram would sell for about $100 and an ounce for about $2,500.

Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, Brandon police Const. Marc DeDecker, who was the exhibit officer in the operation, testified about his involvement, including the three covert entries to search Dambo’s apartment with Const. Michael Dixon on April 16, April 20 and May 3 of 2021.

As the exhibit officer, he said his role was itemizing, organizing, photographing and weighing evidence as well as sending swabs from the scene to Health Canada to test for cocaine.

DeDecker testified he was involved in the arrest of the alleged “second in command” of the organization on May 3, 2021. He said when the suspect left Dambo’s apartment that day, there was a brief foot chase before he arrested him.

DeDecker said the suspect was carrying a satchel with cocaine in it, some of which fell out during the arrest. He said there were three bags of cocaine, with smaller bags inside each bag. In total, he said, there were about 225 grams of cocaine.

He said police also seized three cellphones, a small amount of cash, and keys, including one to Dambo’s apartment, from the bag.

On May 3, after BPS arrested the alleged second in command and Dambo, officers executed a third search. DeDecker said his job was to take photos and “capture everything as it was found.”

He said inside a linen closet in a Tupperware container, police found more than half a kilogram of cocaine in brick form and a safe that had previously been locked containing about two kilograms of cocaine.

DeDecker said in one of the kitchen drawers there were four bags of cocaine containing more than 100 grams.

In cross-examination, defence lawyer Jonathan Richert asked DeDecker if there was anything specific that triggered BPS to do the first covert search on April 16, 2021.

“I would presume just to see where they were at with their supply,” DeDecker said.

When Richert rephrased the question, asking if there was a possibility that the stash would be restocked that day, DeDecker said he couldn’t recall.

Richert pointed out that in the first search there was a desk that appeared to have white debris on it, along with a knife with the blade covered in powder.

He asked DeDecker why swabs to test for cocaine weren’t used on the knife.

“I believe it was involved with cocaine trafficking — there was cocaine residue on it … but more so focused on finding more than that, and I know we were in a bit of a time crunch, that would be why,” DeDecker said.

Richert asked if it was fair to say that without a test, there was no way to determine that it was in fact cocaine on the knife. DeDecker agreed.

The trial continues.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com