A cocaine dealer who allegedly initiated a âpay for protectionâ scheme with a Hamilton police officer testified Wednesday the detective constable was someone he could rely on in a pinch.âHeâd always helped me out in the past,â said the man, who cannot be identified due to a court-ordered provisional publication ban.âThere were several times that the police were after me and he told me that they were.âRead more:Fellow officer testifies he was âshockedâ by actions of cop now on trialTrial hears cop tipped off drug dealers in exchange for cashSuspended Hamilton officer arrested by Toronto police is facing more criminal chargesThat officer is Craig Ruthowsky, a former member of the Hamilton Police Service guns and gangs unit who has pleaded not guilty to bribery of officers, obstruct justice, breach of trust, drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit and indictable offence.The prosecution is alleging Ruthowsky, who is suspended from the job, supplied the coke dealer, and others, with âsensitive police informationâ to help them evade detection in return for cash payments of $20,000 a month.Ruthowskyâs lawyer, Greg Lafontaine, has portrayed his client as a top-performing cop who maybe bent some rules but was skilled at working sources to get drugs and guns off Hamilton streets.Wednesday was the first time jurors in a downtown Toronto courtroom set eyes on the Hamilton-based dealer.The dealer testified Ruthowsky shared with him departmental gossip about the âfighting and bickeringâ between the Hamilton police drug and gang units, and warned him âto be carefulâ about dealing with informants.He also said the officer, whom he repeatedly referred to as Craig, told him the weekends were âthe best time to do stuff.ââWhat kind of stuff,â Crown attorney John Pollard asked.âCriminal stuff, drug trafficking, whatever,â the dealer replied.The Crown a ...
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