Victoria police misconduct fuels appeal for convicted drug dealer
CTV
A man who trafficked drugs in Victoria is trying to overturn his conviction by arguing the police officer who was a key witness at his trial cannot be trusted.
A man who trafficked drugs in Victoria is trying to overturn his conviction by arguing the police officer who was a key witness at his trial cannot be trusted.
On Wednesday, news broke that charges were stayed in a separate case where three men were accused of trafficking millions of dollars in drugs. Those legal proceedings came to a halt after Crown prosecutors learned one of the officers “may have been involved in corrupt practice,” VicPD said in a news release.
The officer at the centre of both controversies is now-retired Victoria Police Const. Robb Ferris. He has not responded to a request for comment. This story will be updated if a response is received.
Ferris was arrested by the RCMP anti-corruption unit in June of 2020.
An investigation determined “19 findings of misconduct,” substantiating claims that Ferris shared details of investigations and covert operation techniques with his wife, mother and another civilian, according to a B.C. Court of Appeal decision by Justice Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten.
Prior to Ferris’s arrest and suspension from the department, he was part of VicPD’s Strike Force, which focuses largely on fentanyl and firearms.
“My understanding is that there’s no other files currently before the courts that are being impacted as a result of Const. Ferris’s misconduct,” Victoria police Chief Del Manak said Wednesday.
