A Maple Ridge man accused of trying to extort $500,000 out of his uncle threw in the towel halfway through his trial and pleaded guilty to a pair of charges last week.

A.K., who can't be named because of a ban on the publication of any information that might identify the victim of the plot, pleaded guilty to one count of extortion and one count of the possession of heroin.

He will be sentenced at a later date. The hasty guilty plea came midway through his week-long trial and immediately after Crown counsel played a video showing A.K. at a Langley restaurant at the same time as a threatening call was made to his uncle.

Earlier in the trial, the court heard from A.K.'s accomplice in the extortion, Shane Werner, who admitted to making phone calls.

Werner told the court that he and A.K. agreed to threaten A.K.'s uncle, K.K. with harm unless he paid half a million dollars. K.K., who operates several businesses in Chilliwack, quickly contacted police.

Police traced the first call to a Maple Ridge telephone number. They then asked K.K. whether he knew anybody in that area. K.K. told Mounties his nephew operated a gas station in the city but was also known to have a drug problem. (Werner-who sold cocaine and other drugs to make money for his own habit- told the court he was A.K.'s drug dealer.)

Mounties proceeded to set up wiretaps and video surveillance on the pair, who put their plan into motion in September of 2009.

In one call, Werner tells K.K.: "Have your money ready for tomorrow or else I'm going to take out your family."

But unbeknownst to the extortionists, police were recording calls and counselling K.K.

When Werner was finally told-falsely-that the money was ready to be delivered, police were in fact closing in on him and his accomplice.

They were arrested in a Langley cul-de-sac. An assortment of drugs were found in the vehicle. While Werner told the court last week that the drugs were his, A.K. still pleaded guilty to one drug charge. Two other drug charges and charges of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence will likely be stayed.

tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com