Winnipeg police officer convicted of trafficking would often 'fairy dust' partiers with drugs: former friend
CBC
A former acquaintance of Elston Bostock says the disgraced Winnipeg police constable had a reputation for being a "hookup" and would routinely "fairy dust" partiers with white powdered drugs.
The woman alleges Bostock — who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking this week and had previously pleaded guilty to offences that included corruption charges — said it was an "open secret" that Bostock had a reputation for ensuring "everyone would be extremely high" at parties during the period from 2015-19, when she knew him.
"The drugs ... would be a white powder that he had in his pocket," said the woman, whom CBC News isn't identifying due to her fear of reprisals for speaking out.
"He would go around and lick his finger and stick it in his pocket, and then just fairy dust all of us ... pop his finger in our mouths," she said.
"Knowing he was dealing and handing out drugs from his pocket, it just felt like ... how far could he really go in terms of illegal activities while being a police officer?"
New details about his illegal activities emerged in court this week, following earlier details about illegal, unethical or inappropriate conduct that recently got the Winnipeg Police Service veteran fired and has some of his peers facing trials of their own.
He supplied drugs — sometimes while on duty and working out of his cruiser — to friends and fellow officers, not for profit but for social gain, prosecutors say.
Last fall, he pleaded guilty to breach of trust, attempting to obstruct justice (via ticket-fixing), theft under $5,000 and offering indignity to human remains (sending imagery of a partially nude dead woman to fellow officers).
On Monday, Bostock also pleaded guilty to trafficking drugs, including cocaine, MDMA (also known as ecstasy), psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and cannabis.
He hasn't been sentenced in either case.
Between 2016 and 2024, Bostock supplied drugs to civilians and Winnipeg Police Service co-workers, sometimes while on duty, according to an agreed statement of facts presented in court.
The investigation revealed times when fellow officers messaged Bostock about drugs — pharmaceutical-grade painkillers and anti-anxiety medications including opioids and benzodiazepines, as well as MDMA, psilocybin and cannabis.
He sometimes bartered with colleagues or gave them drugs rather than charging them outright.
In at least one instance, in 2020, he admitted in a message to a peer that he ate a 50-milligram cannabis gummy before going on shift.
The cost of road construction projects paid for by the Newfoundland and Labrador government has nearly doubled in just six years.
As 1,000 or so Algoma Steel workers prepare to get laid off in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., this March, many of them will be focused on finding new employment in the region.
A Halifax sex offender who was sentenced to 4½ years in prison last month in a case involving a four-year-old girl has been released on bail as he awaits an appeal.
The new transitional housing project on Forest Hill Road in Fredericton is two weeks away from completion and some residents have already moved in to their new spaces.
When Gilbert Hajj walks through his family home in Baie-D'Urfé, Que., these days, he moves like someone navigating a maze — pointing to walls that are staying, those that are going, and spaces that will soon serve new purposes.
A former acquaintance of Elston Bostock says the disgraced Winnipeg police constable had a reputation for being a "hookup" and would routinely "fairy dust" partiers with white powdered drugs.
"So what do they teach you in university?"
Between central Alberta’s freezing winter temperatures and the recent closure of a drop-in centre run by a local harm-reduction group, Red Deer Public Library CEO Shelley Ross has seen an uptick in the number of homeless people spending time at the branches.
As Ali Marsman walks through the aisles of a newly reopened 80-year-old cinema in Hope, B.C., she tears up and laughs with happiness.
Diane Bouwman, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001, said the disease can make you lose your confidence.
Fireguards are designed to protect people and communities by clearing land to slow the spread of wildfires.
Former CBC host Cathy Alex is being remembered for her resounding laughter, love of the outdoors and commitment to the communities she served during her 33-year career.
Toronto's morning commuters are facing challenges yet again this week due to another temporary service stoppage on parts of Line 1 on Friday.