B.C. Nurse Accused of Trafficking Prescription Drugs to Inmates at Maximum Security Prison

Patches are seen on the arm and shoulder of a corrections officer in the segregation unit at the Fraser Valley Institution for Women, in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday October 26, 2017. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

A B.C. nurse is under investigation for allegedly trafficking prescription drugs to inmates in a maximum security prison in the province, court documents show.

A petition filed by the B.C. College of Nurse and Midwives (BCCNM) and obtained by CBC News, said the nurse was working at Kent Institution, B.C.’s only maximum security prison, located in Agassiz. In late 2021, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) began investigating “discrepancies” in the nurse’s handling of medication, the petition said.

Between January and October of 2021, the 50-year-old registered nurse (RN), worked as an infectious disease nurse, then as a line nurse at the prison, according to court documents. CBC didn’t disclose his identity since he has not been charged.

In an affidavit, also obtained by CBC, a professional conduct review consultant with BCCNM said an inmate told prison staff that a nurse had been selling drugs from the facility stock and accepting e-transfer payments to his personal bank account.

Distributing medications is not normally part of the job of an infectious disease nurse, according to the consultant’s affidavit. CSC officials told the BCCNM that the nurse “would still accompany line nurses to the medication distribution wicket for the evening medication line,” despite it “not being a regular function” of his job.

A second inmate also came forward with evidence of a so-called “boss beater”—a type of cellphone that is said to be popular among prisoners as it could dodge the detection of a body orifice security scanner (B.O.S.S.). Prisoners allegedly used the cellphone to send money to the nurse, according to the petition. The SIM card was removed, but the nurse’s number was allegedly saved to the phone, CBC reported.

Both inmates have been rated by the CSC as “reliable,” the petition said.

BCCNM was informed about the CSC investigation on Dec. 29, 2021.

BCCNM, which has also launched its own investigation, is now asking the court for an order to compel the nurse to turn over his banking and cellphone records in relation to the alleged trafficking of drugs between December 2020 and December 2021.

“Legal counsel with the college believes that the records sought in this proceeding may disclose evidence that the respondent has contravened the [Health Professions] Act, its regulations, college bylaws and/or committed professional misconduct,” the petition reads.

The nurse’s lawyer said in a letter to BCCNM, dated Nov. 16, 2022, that she does not believe the Health Professions Act gives the college the authority to access a nurse’s banking or phone records. The letter to BCCNM was submitted to the court as part of an affidavit.

To date, the nurse has “refused to provide the requested information,” the petition said.

The RN resigned from his position at the prison on Dec. 20, 2021, four days after he learned that he was under investigation, according to the petition. He remains a fully licensed nurse.

A court hearing for the college petition has not yet been scheduled, according to CBC.