Court documents released this morning in the case of a close associate of Mayor Rob Ford on drug trafficking charges show the focus of the investigation was a video alleging to show the mayor smoking crack cocaine.

The affidavit refers to several meetings between Rob Ford and Alexander Lisi.

Police had prepared nearly 500 pages of documents to back up Lisi’s arrest. They were ordered sealed, but lawyers for several media outlets argued successfully that the public has the right to know details of the arrest.

The friend and sometime driver of Mayor Rob Ford has been charged with several offences, including trafficking in marijuana.

Only part of the 480-page affidavit was released. Lawyers will argue for a full release in a week.

Meanwhile, a new poll shows that Ford’s association with Lisi has hurt his approval rating. Forum Research released a poll showing the Mayor’s approval rating has dropped ten points to 39%. Forum President Lorne Bozinoff says Ford took the hit after it became known that he had written character reference letters for Lisi and another man who had been convicted of murder.