Vaughn Palmer: BC NDP being forced to admit to public drug use is a problem.Nazarek was credited with almost two years of time served, with 10 years left to serve.

The Crown asked for 15-16 years, and the defense offered six years. He also noted that Nazarek was motivated by profit and that the “toxic combination” of drugs and guns posed a threat to public safety. He acknowledged that Nazarek had addiction problems and childhood abuse and that he was making efforts to address them, but said those efforts were “somewhat mitigated by the decision to flee” and he remained free for more than a year. Mayer said the principles of disclosure and deterrence are “central to sentencing individuals for trafficking in fentanyl and carfentanil.” The Crown told the court that “the impact of the drug trade is particularly acute in small communities” because of limited access to addiction treatment centers and emergency overdose services, and cited a 2009 ruling that young people with high-paying jobs in B.C.’s oil regions particularly vulnerable to cocaine use.

John is located, has the second-highest overdose rate of any health region in British Columbia, with 34 deaths per 100,000 people. In passing the sentence, Judge Andrew Mayer noted that the Northern Health Authority, where Fort St. The court noted that Nazerek was the “leader” of a “relatively small-scale drug-trafficking” operation in which he sold drugs to other dealers, not to consumers.Īt the time of his arrest, Nazarek was out on bail awaiting sentencing on a similar conviction in a 2017 trial related to the 2013 charges. Police also seized digital scales, drug score sheets, marked packages and $34,000 in cash.

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