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Back in September 2005, RCMP seized over 4000 marijuana plants in six houses in Whitehorse. Eight men were arrested and charged with marijuana cultivation, possession for purposes of trafficking, and theft of thousands of dollars' worth of electricity.
Four men were convicted at trial in November 2006, but the other four were acquitted after the court excluded evidence that RCMP had supposedly collected improperly.
The Crown appealed the acquittals, but has now been forced to abandon the appeals because authorities cannot locate the four suspects to serve them notice of appeal.
[T]he Crown filed a notice of appeal of [judge Karen] Ruddy’s decision in May [2007].
Before the appeal could proceed, the defendants had to be served notice.
But the RCMP could not find the four men.
They were no longer in Whitehorse and had left no forwarding addresses.
“After they were acquitted, they were no longer subject to the court processes that required them to remain in touch with the court, their bail supervisor and so forth,” said [Crown counsel Noel] Sinclair.
They disappeared.
Of a total of 20 charges originally filed, ten were thrown out. Three of the accused pled guilty to marijuana production and spent a year in jail. One man wants to plead guilty in Vancouver where he lives; his case is still before the courts.
The names of the eight arrestees are: Wei Xiong Wen, Zhu Dong Liang, Kiu Tin Yeung, Wei Min Zhai, Guang Xian Zhu, Jian Xiong Zhou, Kwok Yiu Cheung and Min Shan Jian. The press reports at hand do not specify which four pled guilty and which four were acquitted and disappeared.
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