Abbotsford Officer Aided Drug Dealer

[Greg Carr]

An Abbotsford Police officer has been charged with a number of
offences following an eight-month investigation that began when he
allegedly leaked information to a drug dealer so that person could
avoid arrest.

Const. Christopher Nicholson has been charged with breach of trust,
obstruction of justice and conspiracy to traffic a controlled
substance.

He has been suspended without pay from his job.

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) began the investigation last
September, and Chief Jim Chu said at a press conference on Tuesday
morning that further charges will be laid against Nicholson.

Nicholson has been with the Abbotsford Police Department (APD) since
2005.

Chu said the APD asked the VPD to conduct an investigation into the
matter, and up to a dozen officers were involved in the covert
operation.

Chu said it is alleged that Nicholson provided false information to
other officers, who used the details to obtain search warrants for
drugs for private residences.

He also allegedly conspired with a confidential informant to have
drugs delivered to a residence and have other police officers conduct
a search warrant soon after.

"Since we believe that Christopher Nicholson had knowledge of the drug
transaction and was an active participant in the transaction, a charge
of conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance has been laid," Chu
said.

APD Chief Bob Rich, also speaking at the press conference in
Vancouver, said, if the facts are proven to be true, Nicholson put the
"lives and reputations of other police officers at risk."

"To the front-line officers, these are some of the most dangerous and
high-risk entries that police officers undertake. Executing search
warrants with false/misleading information puts many police officers
in unnecessary danger," he said.

Watch abbynews.com for more details on this story.