Defenders of Vancouver drug addicts accused of trafficking: VPD

Founding members of the Drug Users' Liberation Front (DULF) have been charged with drug trafficking, following an investigation into the organization last year.

Vancouver police say they began investigating DULF, a community advocacy group, after members of the group “spoke publicly about trafficking heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines from a Downtown Eastside storefront.”

Searches of DULF headquarters and two associated homes took place in October, and the group's two founders were arrested.

Before the raids, DULF faced questions about how it paid to purchase and test drugs for its members under its “compassion club program.”

The VPD says Jeremy Kalicum, 28, and Eris Nyx, 33, each face three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. The charges were approved by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada on May 31.

Both men are expected to return to court on July 2.

The searches and arrests sparked an outcry from advocates for drug users. A rally was held in November 2023, with speakers asserting that “the war on drugs must end.”

Some health professionals showed their support for the DULF following these arrests.

The toxic drug crisis continues to claim lives in British Columbia, with the coroner declaring on June 6, 2024 that more than 14,500 people have been killed by these illicit substances since a state of public health emergency was declared in 2016 .