Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jun 2005
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Tom Godfrey, Toronto Sun

A TWO-FACED DRUG KINGPIN

Boss Turned In His Underlings

JEFFREY "Clean Face" Cahill's lucrative drug ring flooded the city 
with dope from Jamaica in its two years of round-the-clock operation, 
police say.

But after his arrest and facing a jail term, Cahill switched sides 
and struck a deal with justice officials, offering to testify against 
the 10 members he lured into a Pearson airport drug smuggling ring. 
Nine of them were found guilty or pleaded guilty to drug smuggling offences.

More than 12 charges against Cahill, 44, of Brampton, were stayed 
last April as part of the deal.

Cahill must now live with "security concerns" for informing against 
his colleagues, who face lengthy jail terms and have ties to 
organized crime in Jamaica, police say.

Evidence presented before a Brampton court showed kilos of cocaine, 
hash, hash oil and marijuana were arriving up to 10 times weekly on 
Air Canada flights from Kingston and Montego Bay.

Cahill's lieutenant, Allan Quidley, 35, an eight-year airplane 
groomer, was found guilty last Friday.

A Brampton jury deliberated for two days before finding him guilty of 
five drug-smuggling-related offences. He will be sentenced Aug. 12.

"This case was about finally catching the major players -- the 
overseers," said Kelly Gorman, senior counsel of the federal 
prosecution service. She will be seeking life in jail for Quidley.

Pearson A Gateway

Pearson airport is the gateway for huge amounts of drugs coming into 
Canada, said Gorman, who prosecuted the ring.

Quidley lived the high life with his drug money.

He had an expensive home in Mississauga, two cars and made regular 
trips to Jamaica to plan drug shipments and often took back expensive 
goods, police said.

Quidley's role was to help organize the shipments and remove the 
drugs from the jets and pass them to others to distribute on the streets.

He was earning up to $10,000 for every package of dope removed, court heard.

It wasn't long before Cahill and Quidley recruited underboss Dewry 
McLaughlin, 36, of Toronto, a dapper cabin cleaner who ensured the 
dope was taken on the plane in Jamaica and hidden by others during 
the four-hour flight to Toronto. He then helped remove it.

"McLaughlin was on every flight in which drugs were found," one 
Mountie said last week, but added,"it was very hard to pin him to the drugs."

McLaughlin used his airline pass for discounted flights, took regular 
trips across North America to meet women and spent money on champagne 
and nightclubs.

He pleaded guilty to importing hashish and will be sentenced in September.

Lower down the crime ring was Air Canada groomer Ron Alegrid, 46, of 
Mississauga, who pled guilty to conspiracy to import narcotics and 
will be sentenced Sept. 14.

Police said Alegrid specialized in removing the packages of dope from 
jets and sneaking them out of the airport.

At the bottom of the ring was Hugh Palmer, 41, a cleaner, who pled 
guilty and was sentenced last February to five years in jail for drug 
smuggling.

Charges were dismissed against Robert Ferguson, 39, an Air Canada 
ticket agent in Jamaica.

Ring members who pleaded guilty but didn't work at the airport included:

Selwin Fray, 48, of Toronto, who regularly flew to Jamaica and 
smuggled drugs aboard flights to be stashed by others. He has pleaded 
guilty to drug trafficking and will be sentenced in September.

Unemployed factory worker Radcliff Brown, 37, of Toronto, pleaded 
guilty to importing narcotics and was sentenced last month to two 
years less a day of house arrest. Brown is suspected of stashing dope 
on flights for others to remove in Toronto.

"If he [Brown] was on the plane, you can bet drugs will also be found 
on board," one officer said.

Wilfred "Indian" Robinson, 39, of Toronto, had good contacts in 
Jamaica to obtain a supply of drugs and managed to get the drugs on 
the Toronto-bound flights.

He also had a line on city street pushers, police said.

Robinson has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import drugs and is 
awaiting sentencing.

Police describe Enoch Smalling, 40, of Brampton, as a low-level 
player who allegedly snuck drugs out of the airport and passed them 
to street dealers.

He has pleaded guilty to smuggling and will be sentenced in September.

Presley Bryan, 40, of Toronto, was a lower-echelon mover and shaker, 
who helped get the dope to street dealers for resale in Toronto.

He pleaded guilty to drug possession and was sentenced to time served.
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