Police have accused the operators of The Loft Gallery in downtown Victoria of supplying youth with drugs and moonshine, and say the gallery has also been illegally operating as a late-night and after-hours venue.
The Loft’s owner and two other people were arrested after a month-long investigation that started with a tip from Crime Stoppers, a system that allows people to give anonymous information to police.
Investigators discovered the operation included providing drugs to “street-entrenched” youth, who resold it in the vicinity of Douglas and View streets, police said.
During a search last week, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team discovered a large amount of marijuana, hashish and cocaine at the gallery, which is on Fort Street between Blanshard and Quadra streets. The 38-year-old gallery owner was arrested.
Police also found close to eight litres of illegally made liquor. “I can’t recall doing seizures for moonshine too often,” said Victoria police Const. Mike Russell.
Police arrested a 19-year-old Duncan man who texted investigators on a cellphone they had seized. Believing he was in contact with a customer, he arranged to drop off marijuana at an agreed location and was quickly arrested.
A second search at a house on Oswego Street in James Bay led to the discovery of marijuana, crystal meth, ketamine and cash. A 28-year-old woman in the home was arrested.
The investigation, dubbed Project Dali for its art connection, “will put a dent in downtown drug trade as well as the disorder we are working hard to end in the [Douglas and View streets] area,” Victoria Sgt. Wade Murray said in a statement.
Russell said police seized about $3,000 in cash, $10,000 worth of marijuana and two vehicles. A club and some knives were also found.
Police believe the illegal operation has been going for two to three years, beginning in the Oswego Street home then moving to the Fort Street site. A makeshift sign saying that The Loft is closed has been taped to the glass front door. A stairway leads to The Loft in a space above street level.
“Our information was that location was being used for some parties, and things that were unlicensed and unpermitted,” Russell said.
“You’re mixing youth, you’re mixing alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, all these different drugs, you have weapons available — certainly not a safe place to be.”
The Loft advertises itself as a “modern art gallery.” Its website said the gallery offers “a strange brew of local art, where graffiti art meets airbrush, urban themed lettering and cartooning on vinyl records mash into beauty.” On Wednesday, a post on The Loft’s Facebook page said the gallery is “on hiatus as we prepare for another season … In the meantime we will continue to sell the artwork that graced our walls … message us here to book a viewing (they took my phone).”
Russell noted that Victoria has legitimate clubs that stay open into the early morning. One is Temple Events and Catering, where liquor service is cut off by 2 a.m. on weekends — like a restaurant or lounge. The venue, on Fort Street near Government Street, closes at 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Temple’s after-hours crowd knows that alcohol service is not an option, a spokesperson said.
“We operate late-night events with licensed security and a strict no-alcohol, no-drug policy. Our team works closely with city officials to ensure expectations and licensing requirements are being met.”
— with a file from MIke Devlin l
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