It almost reads like a Dirty Harry script, how one bad cop managed to almost single-handedly sabotage one of the biggest police operations in BC history.That comes after a BC judge tossed the largest fentanyl bust in the province’s history after Victoria police bungled the investigation due to misconduct of a senior officer. Now three of the province’s biggest accused dope dealers and a paroled murderer — including one originally from Calgary — are walking free after charges were stayed.The investigation, called Project Juliet, saw $30 million in drugs, weapons and cash seized from three men in December 2020 following a months-long investigation..An analysis of the fentanyl determined it to be 90% pure — or enough for 3.9 million lethal doses. .In addition to two kilograms of fentanyl, the Victoria Police Department’s Strike Force, along with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC) recovered a kilo of cocaine, two kilos of methamphetamine, and six kilograms of cutting agents.An analysis of the fentanyl determined it to be 90% pure — or enough for 3.9 million lethal doses. Officers also seized two sets of body armour, 20 firearms including a replica assault rifle, two carbine-style assault rifles, three shotguns and seven pistols accompanied by a pistol suppressor or silencer, along with 1,000 rounds of various calibres of ammunition, almost $400,000 in cash and three luxury vehicles.Three men from Victoria and metro Vancouver were ultimately charged with a range of weapons and drug offences. On February 17 2023, prosecutors stayed charges against Bryan Balla, who lived in Victoria and was originally from Calgary and Vu Bao Nguyen, a Surrey resident. Charges were stayed against the third man, Vancouver resident Brent William Van Buskirk — a paroled murderer and suspected mob hit man — last month, according to CBC News..The operation unravelled after one of the lead officers — unbeknownst to him — was also under investigation by the RCMP for corruption at the time, including associating with known criminals and passing on sensitive information to suspects in police investigations. Those included 19 counts of breach of trust, 13 counts of improper disclosure of information, three counts of deceit, two counts of discreditable conduct and one count of neglect of duty, although he has not been criminally charged.The officer, Robb Ferris, who retired before he could be dismissed, was allowed to stay on the investigation even though the VPD brass knew he was being investigated in order to avoid tipping him off to the RCMP. Then tried to cover up his involvement altogether after it was disclosed inadvertently to an alert defence lawyer. .“I can assure you that each decision made in the course of these events was made in good faith and with the intention of reducing the impact of drug and organized-crime activity on our streets.”Victoria Police Chief Del Manak .In a written judgement by BC Supreme Court Justice Catherine Murray released this week, police deliberately “obscured” the involvement of the officer in question so as not to jeopardize the entire investigation by falsely backdating the file to after his subsequent arrest.“Not only did police not mention the first investigation, they obscured it," Justice Murray wrote.“Through their actions investigators misled the Crown, defence and the justices that issued authorizations and warrants into believing that the investigation commenced in June 2020” when in fact it began in April.At a news conference in Victoria on Wednesday, Victoria Police Chief Del Manak made a formal apology and lamented the decision in a case that involved three separate sub-investigations and “a significant amount of resources and dedication from our officers.”“It is clear that there were several points of failure in our processes,” he said. “There were decisions made that should have been made differently and changes that can be made to the way we do our work and I apologize for our contribution to this outcome.”
