‘I’m so shameful:’ Nanaimo OPS drug trafficker avoids jail

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Nanaimo’s Overdose Prevention Site located on the corner of Albert and Dunsmuir streets. (Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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On-site video surveillance footage of the facility’s outdoor enclosed courtyard revealed multiple hand-to-hand transactions by Koshman.

She was spotted on video taking two large white powdered packages out of her backpack.

Koshman and co-accused Gerid James Gregory Allen were arrested on site.

In Koshman’s backpack, police uncovered over 100 opioid bills in multiple bottles, about seven grams of crack cocaine, over 1.5 grams of fentanyl, drug testing strips, bear spray, brass knuckles, and various forms of drug paraphernalia.

While a loaded 3D-printed handgun was also found in Koshman’s backpack, the weapon containing five bullets belonged to co-accused Gerid James Gregory-Allen.

The Crown’s Gibson said it was particularly aggravating the pair were trafficking potent drugs to highly vulnerable people.

While it appeared Koshman was not actively working at the Nanaimo OPS the day she was arrested, Gibson said her drug trafficking activities represented a breach of trust.

“Ms. Koshman was a peer counsellor at the OPS and employed at the time,” he confirmed to the court.

Following Koshman and Gregory-Allen’s arrest, her employer, the Canadian Mental Health Association’s mid-Island branch, flatly denied she had ever worked at the Nanaimo OPS.

Sara Koshman wears a Nanaimo OPS lanyard after securing employment as a peer support worker on behalf of the CMHA’s mid-Island branch. (Image Credit: Instagram)

Gibson previously informed court Nanaimo RCMP acted on a civilian complaint regarding Koshman and Gregory-Allen, who were seen by police on nearby Cavan St. and known to frequent the Nanaimo OPS.

Defence Attorney, Cheyne Hodson, told court while substance misuse has challenged Koshman throughout her life, her addiction issues deepened substantially just prior to her arrest.

“It led her to essentially open-air drug trafficking…it was frankly just a matter of time until Ms. Koshman was discovered, and she’s taken responsibility for her actions.”

Koshman was released from jail in October 2024 and has since resided in a pair of Lower Mainland residential treatment facilities.

Several positive character reference letters were presented in court regarding her transformation.

“Ms. Koshman has taken her opportunity to turn her life around seriously, she’s engaged in the programs, she’s engaged in the recovery community, she’s become in many respects a leader in the recovery community,” Hodson said.

Originally from Moose Jaw, Sask., Koshman’s challenging childhood included being introduced to alcohol and hard drugs at 10 and 13 years old, respectively.

Koshman stood up in court to address the judge during a brief, unscripted apology.

She was also forthright with reporters outside court regarding her offending, progress she’s made, and where her life is headed now.

Despite negativity surrounding the Nanaimo OPS, Koshman said the facility provides an invaluable service.

“The minute I realized I had given them a bad name or put a bad taste in people’s mouth about OPS it just killed me, because that’s not what it’s about, it’s about helping people and giving people a safe place. I felt like a put damper in the public eye to that and I’m so shameful and regretful of that every day.”

Koshman’s conditional sentence order includes an overnight curfew, remaining in the province, and counselling provisions.

The mother of a 17-year-old girl was also handed a mandatory 10-year prohibited weapons ban, and items associated with her arrest were forfeited.

Koshman intends to eventually move to Alberta to be closer to family and obtain a career as a dental assistant.

She has advice for others struggling with addiction and the approach they should take in treatment to sustainably improve their lives.

“You zip it and you listen and you take all of the suggestions and you work that program to the best of your ability. You’ve got to deal with your inner trauma first in order to start healing. If you’re not dealing with the stuff that’s internal you’re going to continue to relapse,” Koshman said.

Court was told Koshman could have faced upwards of three years in prison, however her post-offence conduct prevented her from going back to jail, said sentencing judge Christina Proteau.

“What has earned you this sentence is the work you’ve done in the last two years, and really it made no sense for me to turn back the clock on the progress. It wouldn’t be benefiting society in any way to send you to real custody,” Judge Proteau said, who accepted a jointly submitted sentencing recommendation.

Proteau reflected on Koshman’s path in life and how she was quickly taken down a life of crime by co-accused Gregory-Allen.

“What we decide to do on a daily basis and who we decide to associate with affects everyone’s life in a significant way,” the judge said.

Sara Koshman says she’ll continue to be a leader in the recovery community, adding that hopefully media attention surrounding her situation helps others battling addiction. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Gregory-Allen remains in jail ever since his Sept. 12, 2024, arrest.

He was denied bail last summer and is expected to be sentenced in the coming weeks after a plea arrangement was brokered for a 10-year prison sentence, minus time served.

After pleading guilty to several drug trafficking and weapons charges in connection to two sets of crimes, court was told the Nanaimo OPS bust involved police finding a large haul for drugs in his backpack, including 225 grams of methamphetamine, over 40 grams of fentanyl, 80 grams of crack cocaine, numerous weapons, cash and a scale.

A key to the Castaway Motel on Terminal Ave. was also found on the offender.

Inside the motel, police found over a kilogram of drugs (fentanyl/methamphetamine, cocaine and GHB), $10,000 cash, and a pump-action, sawed-off shotgun.

Two months after the Nanaimo OPS bust, a drug trafficker possessing a loaded 3D-printed handgun was arrested on site by Nanaimo RCMP.

Coltan Dennis Sharp, was busted with a haul of drugs featuring over 26 grams of fentanyl.

He awaits a decision on his fate from judge Proteau after guilty pleas to five drug trafficking offences and a weapons charge.

Both incidents, combined with recent concerns from area residents and a nearby stabbing incident, illustrate safety concerns associated with the high-volume Nanaimo OPS site.

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