Nunavut pot advocate pleads guilty to drug trafficking, sex abuse charges

Ed deVries, Nunavut’s erstwhile marijuana evangelist, now faces between five and seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to six charges involving the sexual molestation of minors and two drug trafficking charges. (FILE PHOTO)

Ed deVries, 53, of Iqaluit may face combined prison sentences totalling up to seven years in jail, following his May 24 entry of guilty pleas on eight criminal charges.

DeVries, the Marijuana Party candidate for Nunavut in 2006, pleaded guilty in the Nunavut Court of Justice May 24 to eight sex and drug offences.

DeVries, a remand prisoner detained at Baffin Correctional Centre since September, entered guilty pleas to two drug trafficking charges, four sexual abuse charges and two counts of sexual touching. The sex offences relate to complainants aged between 10 and 16.

“I just want to express an apology. I’m very sorry for my selfish and shameful actions,” deVries said in in the Nunavut Court of Justice courtroom. “I fully accept my actions and they are shameless.”

DeVries was accused of dealing large quantities of marijuana from Iqaluit and Igloolik, activities that generated three RCMP raids in three years.

He declared, in 2009, that his residence was part of the Church of the Universe, in which deVries was a self-styled reverend.

It was accepted that all members of the church were allowed to purchase marijuana from deVries.

When RCMP staked out his home, they observed people constantly coming in and out of the property. Cops arrested one person leaving the business in possession of marijuana.

They conducted a search of the house Aug 14, 2009 that led to the seizure of marijuana, marijuana paraphernalia, cash, laptop computers and a thumb drive.

After being released from custody, deVries conducted his business under the name Qikiqtaaluk Compassionate Society — a purported non-profit organization that promoted alternative healing methods and medical marijuana — at a different location in downtown Iqaluit.

But another seizure on Jan. 29, 2010 occurred when RCMP saw people frequenting the new location on a daily basis. The RCMP filed a search warrant and executed another raid on the house.

What RCMP found was a flourishing business. It was equipped with a sign that promoted store hours, a board stating prices for different forms of marijuana — $15 per gram of weed, or $7 for elders — and business records detailing the illegal transactions.

There were approximately 450 registered members of the society buying marijuana and 11 employees. Handwritten notes showed an average of 9.34 pounds of marijuana sold weekly for profits of $17,248.

Annual profits projected that deVries’ business would make $679,842 annually, a court document said.

At one point during an RCMP investigation, police observed 57 people come and go from the building during a 90-minute period.

Two months after this raid, police found evidence of child pornography on a thumb drive.

It contained several images of nude adolescent girls in a bathroom, showering, and changing. DeVries admitted he knew about the photos, but did nothing to destroy them.

Police found a camera in the bathroom of the girls’ residence. Three complainants told police that deVries sexually abused them.

The girls, aged 10 to 16 when the crimes were committed, accused deVries of a number of sexual acts.They include laying in bed and stroking their hair, touching their breasts and pubic areas while naked, performing oral sex, digital penetration, and practicing intercourse.

The molestation took place over a seven-year period, starting in 2003.

Later in 2011, the RCMP drug section intercepted a large shipment of marijuana that they believed was intended for deVries, who was living in Igloolik at the time.

RCMP issued a search warrant for his Igloolik house.

There, the RCMP found marijuana, hash, $32,760 in cash, scales, bags and other drug trafficking paraphernalia. After that, deVries was arrested and has been held in custody ever since.

Crown and defence lawyers have agreed on a two-year sentence for the drug charges.

On the sex charges, the Crown recommended a five-year sentence, while the defence recommended a three-year sentence.

If convicted, the sentences would be served consecutively, or one after the other. This means deVries could end up serving anywhere between five and seven years in jail.

Justice Robert Kilpatrick said he needs time to review the case before handing down a sentence for the sex-related charges — which he will do some time next week, he said.

In court, defence lawyer Alison Crowe said her client has been living at BCC since last fall.

She said his stay there has been a turbulent one, and included living in an area of the residence usually reserved for six people, but at times has held nine.

She told the court that deVries’ doctor has said exercise is a must for the 53-year-old, due to many health issues. He was taken to hospital for several small strokes, she said, and he underwent a procedure involving the placement of a stint in his heart.

Crowe also said the air quality at BCC is abysmal, that deVries isn’t receiving adequate medical care and that he’s being fed an improper diet for his medical conditions, conditions exacerbated by many years of smoking cigarettes.

DeVries showed no emotion in court.

The court had to recess twice during the day because of deVries health problems.

As well as running for the Marijuana Party in Nunavut in 2006 when he won about seven per cent of the vote, deVries also ran unsuccessfully for Iqaluit City Council in December 2010.