Chief Blair defends officers’ handling of drug probe: report

Toronto police chief Bill Blair is defending his officers’ handling of the drug investigation involving the mayor, in his first interview about Project Brazen 2.

In an interview with the National Post, Blair said investigators were not “directed away” from arresting Ford “if they saw him doing anything illegal” during the surveillance of his part-time driver Alessandro (Sandro) Lisi.

“I’d rather not have played any role in this at all,” he told the newspaper, but added “I’m not sure we were given any choice.”

The newspaper had previously reported that what sparked police’s interest in Ford was the mention of the mayor’s name on wiretaps in a much larger investigation of guns and gangs called Project Traveller.

Many have wondered why the mayor and Lisi were not arrested during the surveillance that revealed manila envelopes being exchanged. However, the chief said those decisions are left to the individual officers on the ground.

At the time of the investigation, police believe the mayor and Lisi knew they were under surveillance and officers were concerned that a trap was being set up for police.

Following the four-month Project Brazen 2 investigation, police arrested Lisi during a police raid in Etobicoke on Oct. 1 and charged him with four criminal offfences, including trafficking marijuana.

On Oct. 31, Lisi was charged with extortion relating to a video allegedly showing the mayor smoking crack cocaine  — the same day that Blair said investigators have uncovered what appears to be the alleged video.

Also, a Toronto police document was released by a Superior Court judge revealing that the alleged video was the focus of Project Traveller.