Rasid Abdula, an Edmonton resident facing three counts of cocaine trafficking in NWT court, is wanted on an arrest warrant after years of delays impacting his legal proceedings.
Justice Andrew Mahar issued the arrest warrant on Monday.
Abdula was one of 15 people charged in December 2018 when the RCMP were concluding Project Gloomiest, a year-long investigation into cocaine trafficking in Yellowknife.
Delays in Abdula’s case have been caused by a change of lawyers, the Covid-19 pandemic and then a loss of contact with the accused as of Sept. 11, 2020.
Crown prosecutor Jeffery Major-Hansford said the “matter had dragged on” and that further adjournment of the court case would not be appropriate.