Police chief disappointed at alleged drug deals from chair outside consumption site

By Canadian Press on July 31, 2025.

VICTORIA — Victoria’s police chief says he called senior leadership at the Island Health authority to express disappointment at the handling of a suspected cocaine dealer who police say sold drugs from a chair directly in front of a supervised consumption site

Del Manak says he supports an overdose consumption site in the city, but it was “unacceptable” that a service provider from the facility on Pandora Ave. was seen to “do nothing” about the man.

Manak says an undercover operation this week witnessed a person connected to The Harbour supervised consumption site turning a “blind eye” to the alleged trafficking.

He says he did not expect the service provider to confront the man, who was later arrested for trafficking cocaine.

But he says police surveillance shows the service provider had a “rapport” with the dealer when conversing with him, and should have called police.

A police news release says the alleged dealer had “a consistent flow of customers” outside the facility.

Manak says the service provider “obviously” had a relationship with the alleged dealer.

He says everybody, including service providers have a “duty and responsibility” to stop street disorder.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press