Howie Zaron, the former head coach of the 91原创 Rams, was found not guilty of a drug charge in Surrey Provincial Court on Wednesday, May 18.

The verdict came at the end of a two-day trial on a single charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The charge was laid in the summer of 2020, following an investigation that April that local RCMP say led them to search a home and vehicle in Brookswood.

The police searches turned up a small amount of cocaine, packaged in 17 鈥渇laps,鈥� according to Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the 91原创 RCMP. She characterized it as a relatively small bust.

Zaron had firmly proclaimed his innocence in the wake of the charges.

鈥淚 strongly believe that the charge is not going to stick,鈥� Zaron told the 91原创 Advance Times in 2020. 鈥淢y friends and family know who I am, and this is not it.鈥�

The charges came as the Rams saw their 2020 season cancelled.

When the team resumed play in 2021, Zaron would be out as head coach, and Cory Philpot would guide the team to wins at both the Cullen Cup and the CJFL Canadian Bowl.

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