Nanaimo drug trafficker handed lengthy sentence

On April 30, 2024, Der was searched in downtown Nanaimo where police found 130 grams of various forms of fentanyl, 60 grams of cocaine, 17 grams of methamphetamine and 100 tablets each of hydromorphone and oxycodone.

Der was arrested as he breached his probation conditions by being in Nanaimo.

On May 21, 2024, Der was on Dunsmuir St. when he was spotted by a Nanaimo RCMP officer, who recognized the offender’s no-go condition of being in Nanaimo.

Der was promptly arrested.

“As he removed Der’s hands from his hoodie pockets, Der was clutching several bags of fentanyl, a large stack of Canadian cash and a phone receiving text messages,” judge Jennings outlined in court.

A search of the bags included over 35 grams of fentanyl, as well as cocaine and methamphetamine, amounting to a street re-sale value of upwards of $5,300.

On June 13, 2024, court heard Der, still banned from being present in Nanaimo, was the lone occupant in a pickup truck on south Nanaimo’s Victoria Rd.

An officer followed Der’s truck to Nicol at Farquhar Street, where Der was observed getting out of his truck and approaching an unhoused person.

The officer then approached and arrested Der.

“Constable Douglas approached the vehicle and could see drugs in plain view from the outside, including a large container of fentanyl sticking out from under the driver’s seat and several pill bottles and an open bag on the passenger seat.”

A further search revealed a loaded shotgun in the truck, along with large volumes of cash and drug mixing equipment.

Der has had a somewhat unusual introduction to the criminal justice system.

While he has 27 convictions for a range of offences (property crimes/breaches/drug trafficking and weapons offences), court was told his convictions were accumulated starting early in 2019 when Der was 38 years old.

He had no prior criminal record until he came to the attention of Nanaimo RCMP during a 2018 mid-Island crime spree reported by NanaimoNewsNOW.

Pre-sentence and Gladue reports were authored to gain further insight into Der, a Metis man with a prior strong work history who experienced “burnout” in 2016 when he moved to Nanaimo.

The sentencing hearing noted Der was sexually abused by his grandfather.

Represented by defence attorney Owen James, court was told Der wants to remove himself from the criminal scene.

In-custody reports from Nanaimo Correctional Centre were positive for Der, who completed programming at the highly regarded Guthrie Therapeutic Community, as well as several other rehabilitative programs.

Several charges against Der were dropped by Crown counsel in exchange for his guilty pleas.

Federal penitentiary terms of over two years have frequently been issued by Nanaimo judges for drug trafficking involving fentanyl over the last several years.

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by Ian Holmes

Nanaimo drug trafficker handed lengthy sentence

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