A video apparently showing Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine may never be seen by the public. The U.S. website Gawker has raised more than 200-thousand dollars to buy the alleged video. But the site’s editor-in-chief says the source who initially contacted Gawker about the video now says it’s no longer available because whoever claims to have it is afraid of being identified, and is under pressure from the Somali community to “make the whole thing go away.”

The owner of the video is said to be a Somali drug dealer.

Gawker’s John Cook hasn’t given up hope that the video might still surface. He says he was told a copy of the video was taken out of Toronto “for safekeeping.”

Gawker raised more than $200,000 to buy the video. Cook says the site will hold onto the money for about a month in case someone has a change of heart. After that it will be donated to a Canadian charity dealing with substance abuse.

Mayor Ford is also learning that his focus on finding efficiencies at City Hall is paying off. A staff report reveals Toronto finished 2012 with an almost 250-million dollar surplus. The full staff report goes before the budget committee later this week.