An announcement of a drug-trafficking bust in Nanaimo quickly turned into a political football on Tuesday, after the B.C. Conservatives pointed to the arrests as evidence that “so-called safe drug sites” are turning into havens for crime.
Nanaimo RCMP announced Tuesday that they had arrested two people for drug trafficking and possession of a prohibited firearm after responding to a complaint about drug dealing on Cavan Street in the downtown area.
They said officers with the detachment’s Nanaimo Special Investigation Targeted Enforcement or SITE unit seized a loaded pistol and suspected methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and prescription opioid tablets in the Sept. 12 incident.
Further investigation led to a search warrant being conducted in a motel room, where large amounts of drugs, weapons and cash were found, said the RCMP, who called it a “significant seizure” that removed “large quantities of illicit and harmful drugs, as well as dangerous weapons, from the streets of Nanaimo.”
Sara Koshman, 35, and 30-year-old Gerid Gregory-Allen were charged and remanded in custody pending a court appearance Wednesday, police said.
The Conservative Party of B.C. issued a statement calling the arrests an example of how “so-called safe drug sites have spiraled out of control becoming havens for crime and violence in our communities.”
An overdose-prevention site is operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association Mid-Island Branch at 250 Albert St., which intersects with Cavan Street, where the arrests took place. Along with monitoring drug consumption, the site provides harm-reduction supplies, education and low-barrier job opportunities.
An association spokesperson could not be reached Tuesday to say if the arrests are connected to the site, as the B.C. Conservatives alleged. Nanaimo RCMP also declined to say if there was a connection.
NanaimoNewsNow, a local media outlet, reported that the executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Mid-Island Branch had confirmed the arrests occurred at the overdose-prevention site, but said the two individuals had no roles with the site when arrested, and had never been CMHA Mid-Island Branch employees.
It said Jason Harrison had not responded to an inquiry regarding a social-media post from Koshman in July saying she was working at the facility.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog wouldn’t speak about the specific case, but said there’s no question drug dealers hang around the overdose-prevention site.
He noted that the site is also next door to city hall and across the street from offices of the local MLA and MP. “As politicians, we are literally in the thick of it,” Krog said.
People who appear to be under the influence of drugs are lying down and sleeping on stairs and the grass and in city hall’s parking lot, and there’s public defecation in the area, requiring regular cleanups, he said.
Overdose-prevention sites have a role to play in public health, but detox beds, mental-health beds and a continuum of care are needed, he said.
Gwen O’Mahony, Conservative candidate for Nanaimo-Lantzville, said in the B.C. Conservatives’ statement that Nanaimo residents are living in fear, calling overdose-prevention sites “breeding grounds for drug trafficking and illegal weapons.”
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has said he would shut down all drug-consumption sites and replace them with mental-health and addictions treatment centres if the party wins the Oct. 19 provincial election.
Also on Tuesday, the Save Our Streets coalition in B.C. staged a news conference in Vancouver to release results from a survey that it said shows people don’t feel safe in their communities and don’t believe the justice system, governments or the police are doing enough to respond to addiction and mental-health issues.
Karen Kuwica, president of Nanaimo’s Newcastle Community Association, who attended the SOS event in Vancouver, said the survey results show people have lost faith in the justice system and feel that it is futile to report crimes.
In the Research Co. online survey, 55 per cent of the 1,200 respondents said the level of crime in their community had increased, while 88 per cent said crimes aren’t reported, due largely to a lack of confidence in the justice system.
Half of the respondents said they fear for their safety and almost 74 per cent said that crime and violence are affecting the quality of life in their community.
Respondents indicated they are willing to support new approaches by police, the justice system and all levels of government to address opioid consumption, retail crime and public safety.
Jess Ketchum, Save Our Streets co-founder, said it’s “good news” that British Columbians are “open to new ideas and willing to support new and expanded approaches to tackle crime, reform our justice system and provide effective treatment and recovery options for people suffering from addiction and mental illnesses.”
The survey was conducted from Sept. 9 to Sept. 12. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
