A former veteran Winnipeg police officer who previously pleaded guilty to a lengthy list of charges—including sharing photos of a dead woman—has now confessed to distributing drugs to friends and fellow officers, both on and off duty.
Elston Bostock pleaded guilty in the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg this week to trafficking cocaine, ecstasy, psilocybin, and a range of prescription medications over a span of eight years.
Bostock pleaded guilty to selling drugs between 2016 and 2024 while on duty as a uniformed police officer, in the parking lots of police stations and from his police vehicle, according to an agreed statement of facts read in the courtroom.
Crown attorney Janna Hyman told the court the drugs sold by Bostock were for personal use and he was paid for the drugs in a mix of cash, bartered items, and favours.
Bostock had worked with the Winnipeg Police Service for 22 years before pleading guilty in November to a number of other offences.
The specifics of his drug trafficking first emerged after police confiscated Bostock’s cellphone in 2024, subsequent to an extensive investigation by Winnipeg police professional standards unit known as Project Fibre.
He was arrested in November 2024 and charged with four counts of breach of trust, obstructing a police officer, two counts of obstructing justice, and theft under $5,000, police said at the time.
Bostock was arrested for a second time in August of last year when he was charged with multiple counts of drug possession.
Some of the incidents detailed in court included Bostock allegedly asking a cocaine supplier to pick up a $500 payment from him at the police station in July 2022, and requesting a friend drop by his home to pick up a “ball” of cocaine “because his daughter was napping.”
Bostock faced several other non-drug related charges including theft under $5,000 for taking cannabis from a police scene, and obstruction of justice and breach of trust for getting traffic tickets voided in exchange for alcohol and gift cards, and sharing confidential police information.
He pleaded guilty to those charges last fall as well as to causing indignity to human remains and knowingly distributing an intimate image, after he responded to a call and took a photo of a dead woman, who was partially clothed, and sent it to another officer.
Police Chief Gene Bowers said last month Bostock was suspended from the force without pay after being charged and has since been dismissed.
Bostock is expected to be sentenced for all offences at a later date.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
