Four men, including a former correctional officer, have been charged with multiple offences relating to a raid in September 2023.
Chilliwack RCMP say they've arrested Jason Lee, a former correctional officer at an unnamed institution. He has been charged with numerous offences and released on "strict bail conditions."
Lee's charges are: Obstruction of justice as part of a criminal organization, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to commit the indictable offence of trafficking in a controlled substance, obstruction of justice, accepting a bribe as a peace officer, breach of trust by a public officer, trafficking in a controlled substance as part of a criminal organization, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to commit the indictable offence of bribery.
His co-accused are Mark Majcher, Lucas Thiessen, and Jeffrey Tkatchuk, who are not named as correctional officers in the RCMP press release.
The charges for those three men are: Obstruction of justice as part of a criminal organization, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to bribe a peace officer,
conspiracy to commit the indictable offence of trafficking in a controlled substance, and obstruction of Justice.
Tkatchuk is also facing a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Chilliwack RCMP said the arrests were the result of a close collaboration between their drug section and the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). The investigation followed the discovery of "evidence consistent with a correctional officer smuggling contraband, including drugs, weapons, and cellular phones, to inmates within an institution in the Fraser Valley."
That culminated in a raid on Sept. 21, 2023, when search warrants were executed at several locations in Chilliwack resulting in the seizure of Canadian currency, illicit substances, and illegal contraband. RCMP say the results of the raid supported their investigation.
This was a complex investigation that the Chilliwack RCMP Drug Section was able to advance through meticulous police work," said Cpl. Carmen Kiener of the Chilliwack RCMP. "We take this type of criminal activity seriously not only to protect our communities but also to ensure public trust in law enforcement. Throughout the investigative process, Canada Correctional Services was an integral partner in ensuring a comprehensive and quality investigation was completed.