An Edmonton police officer has been fined $7,000 Canadian Dollars for selling anabolic steroids.
According to information out of the Edmonton Police Service, a 10 year veteran of the force – a detective in the agency – has been given a year of probation as well as handed a fine of $7000 (Canadian) after being convicted of trafficking steroids within the department itself.
Court documents show that police detective Greg Lewis had been selling steroids and other bodybuilding drugs and supplements to members of the Edmonton Police Service for a number of years, and was considered by many of his fellow officers to be the “in-house steroid dealer” for the entire department.
Convicted of trafficking schedule for controlled substances, in direct violation of the Controlled Drug and Substance Act in Canada (two separate counts) in February 2018, the judge presiding over this court case was particularly appalled at the fact that Detective Lewis sold drugs to fellow officers while he was wearing the badge that symbolized his commitment to protecting and serving his local community while putting people like himself behind bars.
Crown prosecutor Anita Chan, and Bench Justice Scott Brooker both found this behavior to be particularly galling, especially when they brought up – in court – the fact that Detective Lewis had handled some of these transactions while he was a ranking member and leader of the Drug and Gang Unit in the Edmonton Police Service.
Basically, while Detective Lewis was working to clean up the streets of Edmonton for drug dealers, drug pushers, and drug traffickers he was conducting the exact same kind of business as the people he was going after – and (making things even worse) selling these drugs to fellow officers of the law.
The prosecution painted a very, very unsettling set of circumstances behind how Detective Lewis went about conducting this illegal and illicit operation.
Apparently, Detective Lewis began selling steroids to fellow athletes, bodybuilders and gym goers at some point in 2007. After establishing connections that could provide him with a steady supply of anabolic steroids, he began to focus his trafficking and distribution network primarily on fellow police officers that he felt would do anything but turn him in.
A number of his fellow police officers at the Edmonton Police Service were named in the course of his trial. Constables Greg Mathewson, Sean Parker, and Kevin Yaremchuck were singled out as some of the most egregious offenders and frequent customers of Detective Lewis, as was Sgt. Adam Toma.
All of the fellow officers that had been customers of Detective Lewis worked with the prosecution, giving full testimony and witness statements against the former steroid dealer and coworker that they had built up relationships with over the past 10 years or so.
Some of these officers even testified in open court against Detective Lewis, turning against the man that had been selling them these drugs for so long. None of them were charged, though it is possible (and, in fact likely) that they will face disciplinary charges stemming from this situation at the Edmonton Police Service.
The prosecution showed just how much of an appetite the Edmonton Police Service had for steroids and bodybuilding drugs. A considerable amount of these drugs were trafficked over that 10 year block of time, with Human Growth Hormone also sold quite frequently to the police officers listed above as well as a whole host of other officers in Edmonton, too.
A two-year investigation led by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team was central to these convictions. A private citizen tipped off police anonymously about the involvement of Detective Lewis in the legal steroid trafficking community, and the case began in earnest almost immediately.
Technically, Detective Lewis remains employed by the Edmonton Police Service and has been suspended (without pay) since he was arrested in April 2015. He anticipates being fired just as soon as the legal situation has concluded – though he hasn’t ruled out appealing to the Canadian Court of Appeals just yet.
Source: http://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/verdict-expected-in-edmonton-police-steroid-trafficking-trial