SASKATOON – The case against an alleged drug dealer facing numerous drug trafficking and weapons charges stemming from April 2021 and March 2022 continues to drag out in court. Rudi Betthel had an appearance in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Jan. 10 and it was adjourned until March 6.
In April 2021, Betthel, now 56, was arrested during a Saskatoon traffic stop by the Saskatoon Police Service Tactical Support Unit. Police say Betthel had a significant amount of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and related drug paraphernalia in the vehicle he was driving. After the traffic stop, police executed search warrants at homes in Saskatoon and Bjorkdale and seized firearms, methamphetamine, ketamine, hydromorphone and additional drug paraphernalia.
In March 2022, Betthel failed to appear in Saskatoon court and a bench warrant for his arrest was issued.
Less than a month later, he was arrested following a joint operation by numerous police forces that raided a home in Archerwill. The joint operation included the RCMP gang unit, the RCMP Warrant Enforcement Suppression Team (WEST), and Greenwater RCMP.
At that home, police seized an illegally modified firearm, machete, Tazer, knife, other weapons and ammunition, methamphetamine, LSD, OxyContin and other pills, and a sum of cash.
Betthel has been in jail on remand for more than two years now, since March 2022. This means if he is found guilty and sentenced to prison time, for each day he was on remand he will get 1.5 days taken off of his overall sentence. This could mean the difference between serving time in a federal prison or a provincial correctional centre.
This report by SASKTODAY was first published Jan. 11, 2024.
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