Video of former Toronto mayor Ford smoking crack released

TORONTO (AP) — A notorious video featuring late Toronto mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine has been made public.

A Toronto court lifted a ban on publication of the video, shot in February 2013 and later seized by the police, after an extortion charge was withdrawn Thursday against Sandro Lisi, Ford's friend and former driver. It shows Ford swearing and mumbling while holding what appears to be a crack pipe, which he lights and draws on.

Lisi had faced the charge in relation to efforts made to retrieve the infamous video.

Ford died earlier this year from a rare form of cancer.

Lisi had been scheduled to stand trial on the extortion charge in September. But prosecution lawyer John Patton said a resolution was reached with Lisi's lawyers on the matter in July.

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