A Penhold man arrested three years ago on drug and weapons charges was found guilty and returned to custody in on Friday.
Samir Mohamed, 26, was tried in late November before Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Monica Bast, who had reserved her verdict until Friday, when she announced that he had been found guilty on eight charges. They included possession of crack cocaine for trafficking and a series of weapons charges related to a loaded and unregistered revolver found inside a tote bag that contained some of the drugs.
Mohamed, who lived in Red Deer at the time, was pulled over by RCMP Const. Sabrina Caterini after making an illegal U-turn on a street in Sylvan Lake on Feb. 11, 2009.
In reading back her synopsis of the arrest, Bast said Caterini became suspicious because there was a strong odour of fresh marijuana in the car and the defendant was sweating profusely and looking straight ahead rather than at the police officer as she questioned him.
Caterini found a number of packets of crack cocaine in the inner pocket of Mohamed’s jacket and additional packets of drugs as well as plastic bags, an electronic scale and a black, zippered makeup bag in an open tote bag on the passenger seat of the car.
Inside the makeup bag, which had been placed on top of the other goods in the tote, was a revolver loaded with eight bullets and with its safety mechanism unlocked.
Released earlier on $5,000 bail, Mohammed was returned to custody despite his lawyer Shawn Beaver’s submission that he should not be detained until sentence is pronounced.
Crown prosecutor David Inglis argued that Mohammed poses a significant flight risk, given the lengthy prison term he could be facing as well as his lack of family ties within Alberta.
Sentencing has been postponed, with a hearing date to be set in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench on April 2.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com