The long-awaited trial of four men — including a West Island resident and an Ontario stuntman who has worked on several Hollywood movies — began at the Montreal courthouse Tuesday.
The four are charged with conspiring to smuggle cocaine and hashish into Canada for more than a year —between January 2011 and June 2012.
Prosecutor Carly Norris did not mention the amount of drugs.
“This is a conspiracy case,” Norris told the jury of six men and six women, noting that no drugs actually entered Canada while the men were being investigated.
The prosecutor informed the jury they will be presented with circumstantial evidence only — not direct evidence.
The accused are Louis Nagy, 59, of Beaconsfield, and Dean Copkov, 52, Marco Milan,53, and Robert Bryant, 69, of Ontario.
Each faces one count of conspiring to possess narcotics with intention to traffic.
Louis Nagy, 59, of Beaconsfield, at the Montreal courthouse.
Copkov is a stuntman who has worked on big budget movies like The Incredible Hulk and Pacific Rim, according to the website IMDB.
One of the first documents shown to the jury was Copkov’s CV and a credit statement for a credit card company called Stunts for Hire based at Copkov’s address in Wasaga Beach, Ont.
The evidence will include more than 1,000 conversations intercepted during the investigation, including emails and text messages.
“I’m letting you know right now,” Norris said, “it is going to take long” to get through them all.
Jury members were told they will hear testimony from five witnesses, including a computer expert as well as retired RCMP investigator Joseph Tomeo, an expert on drug trafficking.
More to come.