LaSalle man unaware of cocaine buried in his backyard and hidden under his deck, jury learns

Police seized cocaine and thousands of dollars in Canadian cash from the leased LaSalle, Ont. home of Shawn Evon in July 2020. (Source: Superior Court of Justice)

Shawn Evon is facing a single charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking from a raid in July 2020.

The Windsor-Essex jury has learned this week that Evon was renting a home on Outram Avenue in LaSalle where he was operating a legal marijuana production business.

Evon had a Health Canada licence to produce marijuana in his home.

The jury has seen photographs of the grow operation in his garage with hundreds of plants, all of them legal.

Evon also had the tools and equipment needed to process the marijuana.

When police raided the home however they found a small baggie of cocaine hidden in Evon’s sock drawer; he told the jury it was his for personal use.

He said he was struggling with the end of an intimate relationship and was using cocaine to cope.

Police also photographed and seized thousands of dollars in Canadian cash in the home.

Evon says the money was the proceeds of his legal marijuana business.

Cocaine hiding in the backyard

In the backyard, however, police found more than a kilogram of cocaine.

Some of it was in a large plastic water thermos buried in the backyard; police found it using a metal detector.

Windsor Police Service K9 officer Coal found cocaine and thousands of dollars in Canadian cash hidden under the rear deck.

Evon testified this week that he didn’t know about the drugs or money in the backyard.

Who is Danny Moore?

The defence keeps referencing Evon’s uncle, Danny Moore.

The jury has learned Moore had unrestricted access to the Outram home, where he visited frequently without needing permission.

He didn’t have a key but knew the code to get into the house.

In the spring of 2020 – just a few months before the police raid – numerous witnesses have testified Moore repaired the back deck and fixed the brickwork underneath.

Police raided his apartment on Mill Street in Windsor in 2020.

There they discovered cocaine, cash and tools of the drug trade.

Justice Brian Dube told the jury late Friday the trial is nearing its conclusion, and he currently estimates they will begin their deliberations on June 3.