VANCOUVER — Private investigators hired by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. watched clients of Zhuo (Sabrina) Li’s unlicensed plastic surgery pull up to her house in luxury cars, among them a Bentley, a Porsche, a Mercedes, a Tesla and a BMW, according to newly unsealed court documents.
They were there to get cut, sutured and injected with tools and medications that only licensed physicians should be using, the thick court file suggests. Last week, the College asked clients of Li to get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C because there was no evidence that instruments were being properly sterilized.
Affidavits filed in support of the College’s search and seizure of Li’s basement operation in Delta say that it was a beehive of activity over two days last month when agents from Paladin Security watched and photographed nine customers coming and going, and various vehicles dropping off packages.
When investigators checked the garbage left out for collection in front of the home, they found used syringes, scalpels, needles, vials of lidocaine for numbing the skin, Botulinum Toxin Type A, adrenalin, hyaluronic filler, sutures, 68 pairs of used surgical gloves, face masks, and blood-stained gauze.
The garbage check also turned up empty boxes of Valsartan capsules, a drug typically used for hypertension and heart failure, and a vial of Aqualyx, which is claimed to be a fat liquefier. The court documents say they found a Canada Border Services Agency report showing that a shipment of 50 needles was refused entry to Canada because it came from an unlicensed sender, and was being shipped as a medical device to an unlicensed destination and, thus, contravened federal regulations.
The College has obtained an interim order preventing Li from doing procedures like eye lifts, facelifts and facial injections while their investigation continues.
It began an investigation after receiving several complaints:
• An anonymous email tip to helpdesk@cpsbc.
• A phone call in November from Paul Oxley, a Surrey plastic surgeon who had seen a patient with complications after a procedure she reportedly had with Li, the court documents say.
• The College also heard from an eye specialist, Dr. Colten Wendel, who had seen two patients with complications after procedures they said they had at Li’s business.
A report filed by Paladin shows that most of the seized items were imported from China and South Korea, and that the contents of the garbage contained what appeared to be human blood, tissue and fat.
The investigators took still photos and videos of the clients entering the basement business, most of them in expensive vehicles. As they left the home after a period of three or four hours, some had bandages on their faces.
Eight College investigators raided the premises on Dec. 20.
Li’s husband, Thomas Joseph Quinn, has a City of Delta home business licence for his Future Star Education Travel Inc. But no home licence exists for Li’s Sabrina Permanent Makeup Inc. or any other business at the couple’s home.
Quinn is a former English as a second language instructor who lived in China for several years.
A CBC report says an unnamed 28-year old ESL student went to Li for an eye lift because she thought Li was a doctor. Now, she needs corrective surgery. The court documents were unsealed this week after CBC lawyers made an application to the court.
Vancouver lawyer Jas Mangat is representing Li; he did not respond to a request for an interview.
Susan Prins, spokeswoman for the College, said the regulatory body will eventually go back to court on Jan. 27 to present a report on the items seized.
The College said it hopes to get an agreement with Li for a permanent injunction preventing her from providing any service that she is not qualified or legally authorized to provide.
Prins said the College has not spoken with any of Li’s clients so does not know their motivations for seeing Li instead of a doctor.
