Drug trial begins after quick jury selection

Brandon King is facing charges of possessing three different substances for the purpose of trafficking

After a swift jury selection process, Brandon King’s trial for drug trafficking-related offences got underway at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s Monday, Oct. 3.

King, 33, is facing charges of possessing three drugs for the purpose of trafficking: cocaine, morphine and methylphenidate, a prescription stimulant medication used in the treatment of ADHD.

Jury selection took about an hour Monday morning before the jurors had been chosen and, after Justice Vikas Khaladkar gave them his opening instructions, the court began hearing evidence in the afternoon with testimony from prosecutor Neil’s Smith’s first witness, an RCMP officer.

King, who is represented by lawyer Michelle Elliott, was arrested in June 2021 alongside two other people after RCMP officers in Harbour Grace executed a search warrant in Western Bay. In a news release issued at the time, police said they had seized cocaine, prescription pills, cash and other items consistent with drug trafficking.

King’s trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday.