Pubdate: Fri, 18 Mar 2005
Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)
Copyright: 2005 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274
Author: Mike King
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Boris+St+Maurice (Marc-Boris St-Maurice)

BLOC POT LEADER COMPLAINS OF POLICE STING

Marijuana Bust; Party Infiltrated, Defence Lawyer Wants Evidence Thrown Out

The leader of the Bloc Pot told a Quebec Court hearing yesterday that 
undercover Montreal police officers secretly joined the pro-marijuana 
political party to find evidence against users of the illegal drug.

"The cops infiltrated our party to catch people and scare others," Hugo 
St-Onge testified before Judge Andre Perreault.

St-Onge was the first witness called in a pre-trial motion hearing in the 
case of party founder Marc-Boris St-Maurice, who was charged with marijuana 
possession after being arrested at Bloc Pot headquarters one year ago.

A one-year membership cost $5, St-Onge explained, and anyone could join for 
one day by making a donation of their choice.

At the time of St-Maurice's arrest, the party office included the Cafe 
Marijane.

Police officer Victor Melo recalled on the stand yesterday how he and a 
partner became members for a day, but that he thought it was a sort of 
commercial co-operative rather than a political party. "I was there 
assisting an investigation into pot possession and use," Melo said.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Mario Longpre, Melo described 
watching St-Maurice - whom he recognized from media reports - take out a 
bag of marijuana, roll a joint, light it, then go into the nearby washroom.

Melo said other police officers arrived within seconds and arrested St-Maurice.

Defence lawyer Julius Grey, a constitutional-law expert, is fighting to 
have the evidence collected by those undercover cops excluded from the trial.

"It's impeding someone's rights when police join a political party to get 
evidence,"

St-Maurice said during a break in the proceedings.

"It has to be a severe crime like murder to justify such action, but not 
possession of pot when there are discussions of legalizing it," he added. 
"It's a fundamental right and democratic principle to be free of frivolous 
prosecution."

St-Maurice is also the founder and former leader of the federal Marijuana 
Party, but he recently joined the federal Liberals.

Arguments are to continue today in the court case.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom