An Edmonton lawyer accused of smuggling methamphetamine into the Edmonton Remand Centre was allowed to sit next to his lawyer, rather than the prisoner’s box, on the first day of his trial Wednesday.
Justice John Little noted that Justin Sidhu, 32, is still a member of the bar.
Today the court heard from Crown prosecutor Anita Chan, who said Sidhu arranged a meeting with a client in an interview room at the centre in September 2013.
She argued that Sidhu told staff he’d only be a minute and was allowed to carry in a sealed envelope after claiming the materials inside were protected by solicitor-client privilege.
After the meeting, a guard escorting the inmate from the room noticed him holding an envelope.
Inside, stuffed amongst more mundane documents, a search turned up 10 cigarette rolling papers and a sealed envelope containing six grams of methamphetamine, Chan argued.
Police valued the drugs at $6,000 if sold in jail.
Sidhu pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges Wednesday morning.
The trial in Edmonton Court of Queen’s Bench is scheduled for two days.
