Testimony from day 13 in the corruption trial of Hamilton police officer Craig Ruthowsky

The corruption trial for a Hamilton police officer continued in Toronto today with drug dealers on the stand, who maintained that Craig Ruthowsky was a dirty cop.

Ruthowsky’s so-called informant was yawning by his fourth day of cross examination, as the officer’s lawyer continued to probe the information the drug dealer received from Ruthowsky, as opposed to the information Ruthowsky received from the dealer.

Lawyer Greg Lafontaine asked the dealer if he maintains that his client Craig Ruthowsky was helping the dealers in Hamilton’s drug trade, not that he was a police officer taking criminals off the street?

The dealer said, “I heard he was a very busy police officer. He was also a dirty police officer…corrupt. Taking money and stuff.”

The dealer said he understood that Ruthowsky also took protection money from other drug dealers at the time.

A second drug dealer testified this afternoon, he said Ruthowsky offered to sell him a heavy, 6-foot-tall cocaine press that had been in storage in a secret undercover police station on Hamilton mountain. He says Ruthowsky called him one night to come get the press and he slipped the officer $5000 cash. He said Ruthowsky knew he was going to use it to sell cocaine and after he had the press, he was able to make more money. He didn’t know that the dealer who was first on the stand this morning was the original cocaine press owner, who got a cut of that $5000.

Court resumes after Easter, on Tuesday.