A man in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, pleaded guilty Monday to charges stemming from the use of his pizza shop to sell fentanyl and other illegal substances, according to local reports.
Safeer Nazir, former co-owner of Day and Night Pizza in Edmonton, was charged in 2021 after a months-long investigation by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) led to law enforcement executing a search warrant of the 24-hour pizzeria, according to a report by the Edmonton Journal.
Police said that Safeer Nazir, alongside co-owner Raja Nazir, were accepting stolen liquor and groceries in exchange for drugs, which were sometimes sold to customers by hiding the substances in pizza boxes. It was unknown at the time of publication if the men are related. The investigation was launched in after community members filed complaints to police. The Edmonton Journal reported in 2021 that the suspects were also accused of selling meth from their restaurant.
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According to an agreed statement of facts that was reviewed by the Edmonton Journal, Day and Night Pizza had become “well-known to police” by the time the two suspects were arrested. During undercover investigations in 2017 and 2019, EPS officers were able to buy cocaine from one of the proprietors.
In October 2021, an undercover officer received 0.1 grams of fentanyl from the suspects for a payment of “two blocks of cheese,” reported the Edmonton Journal. Another officer traded a bottle of alcohol in exchange for 0.2 grams of fentanyl a few days later.
After officers executed warrants of the pizzeria and a home related to the Nazirs in early November 2021, ESP found “a larger quantity of prepackaged fentanyl” in “various pizza boxes throughout the restaurant kitchen.” Both men were charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, traffic of a controlled substance and proceeds of crime.
At the time of the arrests, Safeer Nazir was 39 and Raja Nazir was 65. Officers seized over $60,000 worth of illegal substances and cash from both of the locations searched, including 240 grams of fentanyl, 3.3 grams of meth and 0.6 grams of cocaine.
Safeer Nazir on Monday in court pleaded guilty to two of the charges, according to the Edmonton Journal. He reportedly only spoke in court to confirm to Court of King’s Bench Justice John Little that he grasped ramifications of the plea. He is still free on bail and awaits sentencing next month.
Newsweek reached out to the ESP’s press office via email for additional information.
Canada, much like the United States, has faced its own fentanyl crisis in recent years. According to Canada’s health department, from January 2016 to September 2023, over 40,000 people have died from an apparent opioid toxicity death. Last year, fentanyl made up 82 percent of all opioid-related deaths from January to September—nearly doubling the figure from 2016, which was 44 percent.
Some cities in Canada have launched overdose prevention sites, which allow people to use drugs safely and under supervision. The centers have been praised by many government and health organizations, although local community members often oppose building them in their cities.
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