McKenzie Graham was sentenced at B.C. Supreme Court in Nanaimo, not far from where his March 2021 arrest occurred. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

jail sentence

Suspected Nanaimo bike thief pleads guilty to fentanyl trafficking

Jul 22, 2025 | 12:20 PM

NANAIMO — An investigation involving a man allegedly riding downtown on a stolen bike went in a completely different direction for police.

McKenzie Derek Graham, 44, pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking and was handed a two-year provincial jail sentence during a Monday, July 21 sentencing hearing at BC Supreme Court in Nanaimo.

Five ounces of fentanyl were found by police in his backpack during a subsequent search.

His arrest related to a March 5, 2021 incident in which Graham was intercepted by Nanaimo RCMP on Front St., as described by justice David Crerar.

“This included a strip search, this was all in the context of a search that was sparked by a complaint about a stolen bicycle,” Crerar stated.

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Graham participated in his sentencing hearing through a video feed while in custody at Nanaimo Correctional Centre.

With credit for time served, Graham has a further five months behind bars to serve.

Referencing challenges of prosecuting Graham since the original police investigation was based on an unrelated complaint, Justice Crerar indicated it appeared Graham was not a significant player in the local drug trade.

“Given his background it might indicate that he is not at a high level of any drug distribution criminal network,” Crerar said, who accepted a sentencing recommendation by federal Crown prosecutor Jenny Rutherford and Graham’s lawyers.

As part of his sentence, Graham was also issued a lifetime weapons ban and ordered to forfeit all offence-related property.

Fentanyl trafficking typically results in jail tenures in Canada, with federal sentences of over two years regularly issued due to the opioids direct connection to the toxic drug crisis.

Graham’s criminal record features convictions in 2008 for robbery and drug trafficking in Nanaimo, which resulted in a three-year jail sentence.

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