The trial for the two remaining Coutts men heard the the local blockade was meant to be a "revolution," according to a female undercover officer who infiltrated the protest.Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and other charges in court in Lethbridge. The trial is expected to continue through to July. The two men have been held in custody for 850 days so far. The alleged offences date back to 2022 during the protests against COVID-19 mandates, when supports of the Freedom Convoy blocked the border to Montana at Coutts.Olienick and Carbert are accused of conspiring to kill police officers after the RCMP said it found a stockpile of weapons, ammunition and military vests in their vehicles. Charges against the two men further include mischief and possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose, and Olienick is also charged with possessing a pipe bomb.An unnamed female RCMP undercover officer said they infiltrated the border blockade in 2022 testified Tuesday at the trial.She said under oath Olienick told her at the time, “this is war” and said he “is willing to give his life. This is ground zero," the officer said she was told in 2022. "(He said) if the RCMP comes into Coutts with force, they will be met with greater force. It was really intense." The officer, whose name will not be released due to court rules, said she and a male officer, also undercover, acted as a married couple providing resources for the protesters near the Coutts border. “(Olienick) said he had been there since day one and he had sold his house and his vehicles so he could be part of the revolution," she said.“He also said that if the RCMP would come into Coutts to try and overrun them, they would be met with resistance. He also told me that they had stockpiled hundreds of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition and had the ability to outfit every man in Smuggler's (the pub where she met Olienick).""In terms of obviously talking about individuals that are my colleagues, it's quite alarming."The other two of the “Coutts 4,” Chris Lysak and Jerry Morin, were released in February after pleading guilty to lesser charges. Their conspiracy to commit murder charges were dropped, while the same charges stand against Olienick Carbert.
The trial for the two remaining Coutts men heard the the local blockade was meant to be a "revolution," according to a female undercover officer who infiltrated the protest.Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and other charges in court in Lethbridge. The trial is expected to continue through to July. The two men have been held in custody for 850 days so far. The alleged offences date back to 2022 during the protests against COVID-19 mandates, when supports of the Freedom Convoy blocked the border to Montana at Coutts.Olienick and Carbert are accused of conspiring to kill police officers after the RCMP said it found a stockpile of weapons, ammunition and military vests in their vehicles. Charges against the two men further include mischief and possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose, and Olienick is also charged with possessing a pipe bomb.An unnamed female RCMP undercover officer said they infiltrated the border blockade in 2022 testified Tuesday at the trial.She said under oath Olienick told her at the time, “this is war” and said he “is willing to give his life. This is ground zero," the officer said she was told in 2022. "(He said) if the RCMP comes into Coutts with force, they will be met with greater force. It was really intense." The officer, whose name will not be released due to court rules, said she and a male officer, also undercover, acted as a married couple providing resources for the protesters near the Coutts border. “(Olienick) said he had been there since day one and he had sold his house and his vehicles so he could be part of the revolution," she said.“He also said that if the RCMP would come into Coutts to try and overrun them, they would be met with resistance. He also told me that they had stockpiled hundreds of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition and had the ability to outfit every man in Smuggler's (the pub where she met Olienick).""In terms of obviously talking about individuals that are my colleagues, it's quite alarming."The other two of the “Coutts 4,” Chris Lysak and Jerry Morin, were released in February after pleading guilty to lesser charges. Their conspiracy to commit murder charges were dropped, while the same charges stand against Olienick Carbert.
