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Rob Ford (allegedly) “doing the hezza,” and lots more

Ford revelations have been coming down at what seems like a clockwork pace, the best Wednesday night entertainment since ABC cancelled Drew Carey.

This week, Superior Court Justice Ian Nordheimer has gifted the public with summaries of wiretaps from Project Traveller, the police investigation that had been ongoing by the time news of the alleged Rob Ford smoking-crack video broke last May. These summaries were included in the information police swore before a judge for the purpose of nabbing Ford pal Sandro Lisi.

Among the allegations in this round of documents…

Wiretaps! Yes, like on The Wire!

Police monitored the cell phone communications of Muhammad Khattak and Anthony Smith, who appear flanking Mayor Ford in the now infamous 15 Windsor Drive photo. They also monitored the residential line at 15 Windsor. These taps were in place on March 18, well before news of the crack video broke on May 16.

Extensive intercepts detail calls made from the residence line at 15 Windsor Road (more below). On April 20, a call was placed stating that Rob Ford was at the house. On another call on the same day, Liban Siyad (who was charged in the June Project Traveller raids) claimed that Ford “was smoking his rocks.” These calls also allege that Mayor Ford was “doing the hezza.” Hezza is slang for “heroin.”

The “Trap House”

The residence at 15 Windsor Road (known as the “Trap House”) had been under police surveillance since April 9. The report states that the “surveillance crew observed activity at the residence consistent with drag trafficking” but that “[t]here were no known persons observed.”

But on April 20, police intercepted a series of conversations regarding Mayor Ford trying to retrieve a phone stolen by a party named in the Project Traveller documents. The report states that the parties were not concerned about Ford going to police because they had a picture of the mayor of Toronto “on the pipe.” When Ford’s phone was eventually returned by Siyad, he allegedly received some free weed for doing so, courtesy of the mayor’s driver. That driver? Sandro Lisi, natch.

Also, during Rob Ford’s 2005 city council campaign, the Trap House was used as an ad-hoc campaign office. David Price made phone calls from there, according to the documents.

The day after

On May 17, after the Gawker story broke, Mark Towhey tells police that he was contacted around 5pm by David Price, then the mayor’s Director of Operations and Logistics. According to Towhey, the conversation regarded a video tape of the mayor “that has been in the news lately.”

Price also allegedly tsated that the cell phone containing the video belonged to Anthony Smith, and that retrieving this phone was the motive for Smith’s murder outside Loki Lounge on March 28. The report also casts doubt on this, stating that Price’s “theory is not correct based on previous interceptions relevant to the murder.”

Price also claims to have received information about the whereabout of the tape on the morning of May 17, from a caller identifying himself only as “Gotti.” Project Traveller intercepts suggest that Gotti is Mohamed Siad, an alleged drug and gun dealer arrested as part of Project Traveller raids. Siad is the man who allegedly showed the video to Gawker’s John Cook as well as Toronto Star reporters Kevin Donovan and Robyn Doolittle.

“Ahh Fuck Dave”

This, allegedly, was Doug Ford’s response to David Price speaking with the police. According to the documents, Doug Ford and price are best friends. Aww.

Ditching the prince

During Prince Philip’s visit to Toronto on April 26 and 27, Mayor Ford was supposed to attend a parade, but his staff could not reach him. Ford then called his staff and said he wouldn’t attend, blaming them for not giving him the proper information. Mayor Ford not giving a shit about the monarchy may be one of his few (only?) redeeming qualities.

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