Toronto

Media lawyers will be in court Tuesday trying to obtain search warrant documents possibly connected to the drug controversy swirling around Mayor Rob Ford.

Lawyer Iain MacKinnon, who will represent a number of media agencies including the Toronto Sun, said the 9:30 a.m. hearing will be the first step in an effort to gain access to search warrant records for Ford’s friend Alexander ‘Sandro’ Lisi.

Lisi was arrested Oct. 1 during police raids on an Etobicoke dry cleaning business and faces a number of charges including conspiracy to commit and indictable offence, drug trafficking and drug possession.

According to police documents obtained by the Toronto Sun, Lisi was allegedly offering to swap a pound of marijuana for the return of an associate’s cellphone. That associate is Mayor Rob Ford, a source told the Toronto Sun.

“(Lisi) has close ties to the Mayor and the question is what else is in the search warrant materials that sheds any light or any connection the Mayor may have to this guy who has been charged?” MacKinnon said.

The hearing will set out a timetable and process for hearings which could see the records opened in part or in whole. Some of the information may be blacked out to protect third-parties, MacKinnon said.

“I don’t think there is any doubt (media) are going to get access, the question is, how much access?” he said.

Lisi came to the attention of police during the Project Traveller investigation in June. That police operation focused on gang and drug trafficking in Etobicoke.

Police allegedly intercepted communications between Lisi and someone who was targeted during the Project Traveller investigation. That lead to the creation of an independent investigation dubbed “Brazen 2” lead by senior Toronto Police officer Det. Sgt Gary Giroux.

Media lawyers will also be before the court in connection with more police documents linked to the Project Traveller investigation.