TORONTO

The infamous Mayor Rob Ford crack video could be seen in a Toronto courtroom sometime this year because six alleged Dixon City Bloods gang members have decided to go straight to trial.

Accused gang members from the Project Traveller case — including Liban Siyad, one of two men who tried to sell the video apparently showing Ford smoking crack — could have their lawyers seek disclosure of the video when their trials are held, the Toronto Sun has learned.

In a surprising move late last month, the six gang members consented to their committal to trial before Justice Fern Weinper at Ontario Court of Justice.

The decision means that the accused will skip the preliminary hearing and move directly to Superior Court, where they appeared Wednesday and will be back on March 5 to set further dates.

A preliminary hearing is slated for November and December this year for the remaining 48 alleged gang members of the Dixon City Bloods.

However Siyad and his five colleagues — Ahmed “HNIC” (Head N----- in Charge) Abdullahi, Daud “Lionel” Hussein, Abdulkadir Mohamud, Abdullahi Harun and Naimo Warsame — opted for the expedited route and will face their weapons trafficking and other gang-related allegations.

The defence could seek the disclosure of the video, which allegedly shows the mayor consuming crack and making racist and homophobic comments.

Siyad is also one of two victims, along with Mohamed Siad, of an alleged attempt by Ford’s pal Alexander “Sandro” Lisi to get the video.

Prominent defence lawyer John Struthers said the defence’s decision to skip the preliminary hearing could give them a strategic advantage that forces the Crown to provide the voluminous disclosure to the defence and make hard decisions quickly.

“It accelerates the decision-making process from a pre-season game pace to a Stanley Cup playoff game pace,” said Struthers, who isn’t involved in this case. “At the preliminary hearing, the prosecution has a low threshold to meet, but at the trial level there has to be a reasonable prospect of conviction, which is a much higher standard.”

The trial judge has the power to order the Crown to disclose evidence to the defence, forcing the prosecution to make all its decisions on what evidence it will use quickly before the trial starts, he explained.

The defence may have already sufficiently reviewed the evidence and determined there isn’t a strong prosecution case. Or both sides could reach a plea bargain deal to avert a trial, Struthers added.

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Liban Siyad was featured prominently last month in the transcripts from Project Traveller released by Toronto Police.

Siyad, who has been charged as a result of arrests stemming from the investigation, may play a key role in releasing a video allegedly showing Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine, if it is used as evidence in his trial.

Documents released in Project Traveller outlined a wide array of allegations against Ford — including deceit, drug use, extortion and negotiations with alleged gang members from the Dixon City Bloods.

None of the statements have been proven in court.

The transcripts show that Siyad and Mohamed Siad were trying to sell the Ford video to the Toronto Star and Gawker last May.

A month earlier, Siyad is heard saying Ford was “smoking his rocks today,” using a street term for crack.

The transcripts also show that Siyad says Ford was smoking “hezza,” which is street slang for heroin.

Siyad said Ford was taking drugs at 15 Windsor Rd., Elena “Princess” Basso’s home and allegedly a known “traphouse” or crackhouse, where Ford may have left his cellphone.

Ford pal Alexander ‘Sandro’ Lisi was constantly calling Ford’s lost cellphone in an effort to discover who had the mayor’s missing phone.

On April 20, Lisi (known as Dro on the intercepts) called Siyad and stated he was one of the guys at Elena’s house last night.

Lisi accused Siyad and his friend of stealing Ford’s phone and said Ford is “freaking out because he needs his phone.”

Siyad said he would get in touch with his friend and get the phone back.

Lisi threatened that if he did not get the phone back, the mayor would bring the heat on Dixon.

Siyad agrees to retrieve the phone but “not because of the cops.” The other caller says he loves and respects Ford but they have Ford “on a lot of f----- up situations and they don’t wanna say anything.”

Siyad phones Said Duale, tells him he got “1.5 kush” (slang for marijuana) in exchange for Ford’s phone from Lisi.