'Disturbing' number of drugs found in Delta driver's urine

Delta police say a 25-year-old man had an "amazing" and "disturbing" number of drugs in his system when he was pulled over for a traffic infraction in March.

In total, police detected 18 drugs with a urine test.

The unnamed driver will now face criminal, impaired driving charges and has had his already suspended licence seized by officers to try to keep him off the road, according to a Delta police spokesperson.

It took four months for the man's urine to be analyzed by the RCMP crime lab and the results returned to the Delta Police Department.

The list of drugs detected in the man's system was released in a tweet from the department's media relations officer.

"The urine sample of a drug impaired driver came back this week w/quite the list of substances...," wrote acting Sgt. Sarah Swallow.

The tweet was accompanied by a snapshot of the test results, showing the list of drugs detected — ranging from methamphetamine to cocaine, fentanyl, morphine, heroin and codeine.

No exact levels were provided.

"The fact that he was even awake enough to drive was quite the feat," Sgt. Swallow told CBC News.

In fact, she said the driver even tried to evade police.

"The driver originally tried to get away" after an officer spotted the motorist commit a traffic infraction, said Swallow. "But (he) ultimately got stuck in a cul-de-sac at Todd Place and Lyon Road in North Delta."

'Driver didn't blink'

What happened next was a huge red flag, according to Swallow.

"The driver didn't blink the entire time the officer was talking to him — a bit of a give-away that something's up," she said.

"Believing the man to be impaired by drugs, the officer called a DRE (Drug Recognition Expert)"— a position new to the force.

Swallow says in contrast to an officer administering a simple breathalyzer to a suspected drunk driver, there is no roadside test for suspected drugged drivers.

Instead, the drug recognition expert looks at the driver's eye movements and reflexes to decide if there are signs of drug use. If he believes the motorist is under the influence, he can make a Criminal Code demand for a urine sample conducted under supervision at Delta police headquarters.

"In the past, if a driver was suspected of being under the influence of drugs, all we could do was issue a 24-hour roadside suspension. But now the drug recognition officer is available ... present and working in traffic. We're now looking to get more people trained and out there."

In this case, Delta police provided the CBC with this redacted version of the man's driver's licence record.

Licence previously cancelled

While the driver wasn't known to police, it appears his drug-taking has been an issue in the recent past.

The man's driving record shows his licence was cancelled and invalid as of last December and a "rehab program required".

The record, supplied to the force by the Insurance Corporation of B.C., also warns the driver may be in possession of a foreign driver's licence.

But Swallow says the man continued to drive and, in March, produced his invalid B.C. driver's licence, which has now been seized.

"It just goes to show people are using drugs and driving. So it's disturbing to know it's out there. We have to do a better job as police officers to get the message out."

Swallow hopes news that the Delta police force now has a drug recognition expert, will serve as a deterrent to those who continue taking drugs — and driving.