Judge finds Toronto 'bio-energy healer' as drug dealer, calling testimony 'fantastic'
The testimony of a man who was charged with the biggest single-day drug and gun seizure in Toronto Police Service history was too “fantastic” to be believed, according to a Toronto Superior Court justice who found the self-described “bio-energy healer” guilty on all counts.
Daniel Dubajic had said he was as surprised as anyone when police found dozens of guns and millions of dollars in drugs in his shared apartment. The Etobicoke painter pointed fingers at a roommate only known as “R.J.”, who he implied was the true mastermind of the scheme.
But Justice P. Andras Schreck said inconsistencies in Dubajic’s testimony made him impossible to believe.
“Mr. Dubajic’s account is so fantastic it defies credulity,” Schreck said in the sentencing hearing Friday morning.
Dubajic had testified that he was not a big-time drug dealer, but a bio-energy healer who fostered parrots, did odd jobs and lived simply in the unassuming apartment.
He admitted possession of a small amount of cocaine and said that he only trafficked cocaine to a group of as many as seven people — nothing like the scale of the November 2020 bust.
Court exhibit photos obtained by CTV News Toronto show duffel bags of wrapped bricks of cocaine, some stamped with the word “LUCKY”. In all, 57 handguns were found, eight long guns, more than 100 kg of cocaine, 30 kg of crystal meth, as well as some MDMA and marijuana.
Most of this was found in a room marked ‘Vandelay Industries’ — a reference to an episode of Seinfeld when the character George Costanza gives that company as a fake job reference.
But some was discovered in Dubajic’s room, the court heard. Crown Attorney Erin Pancer pointed out during his cross-examination that some of the bags of cocaine found in his room were in the same packaging as in the Vandelay Industries room, and suggested he was actually in league with his roommate.
“You’re telling us, in essence, you are the most unlucky person ever,” she said.
“I’m telling you what the facts are,” he responded.
Justice Schreck appeared to side with the crown, pointing out that a series of handwritten notes were “consistent with debt lists of the type used by drug dealers.”
Schreck said he rejected inconsistencies in the testimony, including Dubajic appearing to change his story when asked why R.J. hadn’t paid rent through to November 2020, but then said R.J. wanted to extend the lease.
“Mr. Dubajic was not being truthful. Because of his attempt to mislead the court on this issue, I reject it entirely,” Justice Schreck said.
Police observed two men drive up with duffel bags and deposit them in the apartment that morning, but no evidence was shared about exactly who they were.
None of the fingerprints on the packaging or the guns could be linked to Dubajic — a sign that there may be more to the case than just Dubajic. The court did not hear anything about R.J.'s whereabouts
Dubajic will return to court for sentencing in January.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.