An accused drug dealer from Maple Ridge had his multiple legal attempts to have the case against him thrown out denied by the courts.
Fraser David George Vickers faces two trafficking charges from his arrest in September 2020, when Ridge Meadows RCMP allegedly found him in possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Vickers, born in 1985, was ordered to stand trial in January of 2023, which just concluded on April 7. Vickers has not been in custody.
Vickers filed applications challenging his arrest, and asking that the search warrant be declared unlawful, and a judge ruled against him in all incidences. These decisions were made during voir dire hearings, often called trials withing a trial.
He sought an order that his arrest was unlawful, and that his right to speak to a lawyer was infringed. A judge ruled against that on March 23, in a voir dire.
The primary investigator on the case was Cpl. David Long, who was working with the Ridge Meadows RCMP Street Enforcement Unit.
Their investigation started the month prior to Vickers’ arrest. On Aug. 9, 2020 police received a complaint from a frustrated neighbour regarding suspicious activity at the residence where Vickers lived on 122 Avenue in Maple Ridge.
Police had information about the residence’s connection to suspected drug trafficking from late 2018, and had a Crime Stoppers tip matching some of the information. The court heard Vickers had also been a suspect in a recent shooting.
Police conducted surveillance of the residence from Sept. 15 to 17, 2020, and officers reported many short meetings between people coming to the house, and observations “consistent with drug trafficking,” and drug use.
Police watched “an unknown male wearing pajama pants,” enter the house, and leave eight minutes later. He was then seen passing something to a woman at the corner of 122 Avenue. They both used a piece of tinfoil and a pipe to smoke what police believed was fentanyl.
Later that day the police tactical team, the Emergency Response Team, arrived to arrest Vickers about five blocks south of the residence.
Const. Ravjit Dhaliwal, who processed Vickers in cells, noted his fingernails had blue dye, which she testified is also used to colour fentanyl.
Two confidential informants had told police Vickers was selling fentanyl out of the house.
The judge found police had grounds to arrest Vickers, that there was no breach of his right to call a lawyer, and dismissed that defence application on March 23.
On March 27, the same Justice Miriam Maisonville dismissed a defence application challenging the search warrant for the residence.
The police had applied for a search warrant, but on Sept. 16 a justice of the peace did not authorize it, ruling there was not sufficient evidence to tie Vickers to the house. Police continued surveillance, and added additional information to their application. This included an earlier police incident where Vickers was located in the attic.
They had observed him enter the residence using a key, and leave the house after changing clothes.
Vickers argued the search was not lawful, and police made only minor additions to their information applying for the search warrant.
Maisonville also dismissed an application by Vickers’ defence to cross-examine the police officer who observed him using a key to get into the house. The defence submitted the officer would not have been able to see the key.
There was a photo of Vickers hunching over the door where the lock would be, with both hands occupied, and he was then seen opening the door. The judge said it could be inferred the applicant was using a key, and denied the application.
His trial concluded on April 7, a judgement is scheduled for May 6.
A person charged with an offence is deemed innocent until proven guilty.