Edmonton police detective sold 2 colleagues steroids, court hears

Two Edmonton police officers recalled purchasing pills from a colleague in testimony Tuesday at the trial of an Edmonton detective charged with trafficking steroids.

Edmonton police Det. Greg Lewis, 36, faces three charges of trafficking in a controlled substance between 2007 and 2013 after a three-year investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).

• Two Edmonton police officers charged with selling steroids
• Edmonton police officer admits using steroids

InEdmonton Court of Queen's Bench,Det. Steve Maertens-Poole said he purchased pills from Lewis in 2007 when he was a sergeant in thetactical unit.

Maertens-Poole said he paid $300 and received the pills a few weeks later, which helped him lose body fat and gainsome strength and size.

"I ended up getting two bottles of pills," he told the courtas Lewislistened from the dock, dressed in a navy blue suit.

But defence lawyer Dino Bottos questioned Maertens-Poole's recollection. Under questioning,Maertens-Pooleconfirmed hekept no notes.

Asked if he was sure it was the steroid Winstrolhe received,Maertens-Poolesaid,"I'm not 100 per cent sure what it was I was getting."

Bottospointed out that the detective couldn't recall specific details in his testimony, such as what he asked for when he first approached Lewis, and the circumstances around receiving the pills.

"Correct," said Maertens-Poole.

Lewis is one of two police officers who were chargedwith illegally selling steroids to otherofficers in March 2015.

In June 2016,Darren French, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking Stanozololand Methyl-1-Testosterone.

His sentence included probation, community service and a $1,500 fine. The 25-year veteran retired in April 2015.

On Tuesday, Sgt. Adam Toma,who at one point worked with Lewis in the EPSDrug and Gang Enforcement Unit, testified that he twice purchased pills from Lewis.

Toma said three weeks after he approached Lewis, the two men went for a drive to a McDonald's in Oliver Square where he was handed a white, screw-cap bottle containing 50 yellow pillswith the label Winstrol.

Toma, who describedstripping the label from the bottle and hiding it in his bathroom, saidhe later gave Lewis $100.

In a subsequent transaction, Toma said Lewis left the pills in his bag at EPSheadquarters.

Toma also said he felt pressured to keep his mouth shut once human resources andASIRT began to investigate. He said he was reassured by Lewis that he was safe. He also threw out his remaining pills.

Toma initially told investigators he had no knowledge that Lewis was allegedly distributing steroids, but months later he confessed.

Lewis shook his head at times during thetestimony of Toma, who was given a two-year demotion after pleading guilty to discreditable conduct and deceit.

Under cross-examination, Toma agreed Lewis never told him to lie to investigators and he had disposed of evidence.

A third officer to take the stand, Const. Jason LaFond,testified that he handed pills over to investigators a few years after receiving them from a colleague. LaFond said the co-workermentioned they came from Lewis.

LaFond said he decided not to take the pillsafter researching the contents and realizing itwas testosterone.

The trial is scheduled to last one week.