Unsealed police documents reveal more details about the attempts made to obtain the infamous video that appears to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.
Certain portions of search warrant information in the Project Brazen 2 investigation were released on Friday, and a judge is expected to soon decide whether more sections of the documents will be unsealed.
"What we have here is greater detail about the attempts made to obtain the alleged crack video," media lawyer Peter Jacobsen, who was among those arguing for the release of the documents, said Friday.
Jacobsen said that police wiretaps reveal that on May 17, 2013 alone, there were 50 separate communications about the Ford video.
He said "various parties" tried to get ahold of the video, including the mayor's friend Alexander Lisi, who is facing drug and extortion charges.
Liban Siyad, an alleged victim of an extortion attempt to obtain the video, and Mohamed Siad, the man who tried to sell the Ford video to news organizations through a “broker,” were also mentioned in the documents.
Jacobsen said there are no allegations in the documents that Ford was trying to obtain the video himself, or that Lisi was acting on the mayor's behalf.
However, he said "extreme attempts" were made to retrieve the video.
"Obviously this was a matter of great concern to certain people, and they were really doing everything they could to try and get the video back."
Additional search warrant information about the Project Brazen 2 investigation released last week presented an official police description of the crack video.
According to the documents, Ford is seen in the video lighting a glass cylinder and inhaling a vapour which “appears to be a narcotic.”
The documents also revealed that police offered to show Ford the video, under the conditions that he not discuss it with anyone, or comment on the video. However, Ford declined through his lawyer.
Project Brazen 2 was launched in the fall after police became aware of the Ford video.
On Nov. 5., around the same time police were reportedly canvassing Ford for an interview, the mayor stunned reporters at city hall by admitting to smoking crack cocaine “in one of my drunken stupors.”
Ford, who is running for re-election this October, has not been charged with any crimes. None of the allegations contained in the search warrants have been tested in court.
