Featured image: (Ethan Craft/RSJ)
By: Lucas Lee
Two witnesses, Ahmed Barulle and Chung Din, gave conflicting testimonies during the trial of Ramadan Aden on Friday.
Both men, along with Ramadan Aden, were arrested in the hallway of apartment 315 on 39 Carr St. on Nov. 14, 2014. However, all charges placed on Barulle and Din were dropped by the Toronto Police Service, leaving Aden as the only member of the party to be charged.
Barulle, 21, said he and Din personally knew each other prior to their being arrested on Nov. 17, 2014.
Controversially, when told that Barulle had claimed the two had met, Din said that he “couldn’t recollect” having met Barulle.
The accused has been indicted with seven separate charges, including possession of drugs with intent to sell, possession of unauthorized firearms and improper handling of firearms.
(Story continues below)
(By: Mark Nathan and Cierra Badhwar)
Holes in the testimonies
Both Barulle and Din said the events in question were too far in the past to remember clearly. Neither man could remember whose idea it was to go to the apartment, nor how they were able to get in.
Defence attorney Benjamin Goldfarb asked both men if they remembered how they were able to enter without a key fob.
Barulle said he could not remember, and Din said that he was not the one who opened the door. Neither of the men recognized the key to the apartment when it was presented to them.
Both men said it was not their idea to go to the apartment on 39 Carr St., nor did they know who the apartment belonged to.
Barulle said he could not “remember at all” why he chose to go to the apartment, whereas Din said it was Aden who had invited him to hang out. However, Din could not confirm that it was Aden who suggested 39 Carr St. in particular.
The events in question
On Nov. 14, 2014, six men were arrested by members of Toronto police, who were operating on a tip about “suspicious activity” on the third floor.
The police found three men, including the accused, in the hallway of the third floor attempting to enter room 315. The men were arrested and put to the floor before the two men inside of the room were arrested as well.
During a search of the room, the police found small packages of marijuana and cocaine along with unregistered, loaded firearms.
The next day, Michael Hector, the man leasing Room 315, was arrested as well.
Five of the six men have been cleared of all charges, with Aden’s trial set to continue through January of 2018.
Leave a Reply