New Westminster police are recommending drug-dealing charges against a youth after the overdose death of a 13-year-old Port Coquitlam girl last month.
The incident happened on July 15.
Two girls, a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old, bought MDMA from a drug dealer at the 22nd Street SkyTrain station at about 7 p.m., according to police.
They began consuming the drug, orally in powdered form, before boarding a bus home to Port Coquitlam, police said.
Sometime after they arrived and left the bus, the 13-year-old went into medical distress, and a passerby called 911.
The teen was taken to Royal Columbia Hospital where she died.
A toxicology report confirmed the girl died of a lethal overdose of MDMA, according to police, with no evidence of fentanyl.
The 16-year-old, who also consumed the drug, did not suffer the same adverse effects.
After an investigation by the New Westminster Police department’s street crime unit, police arrested a youth between the ages of 12 and 18 on Aug. 24 and have recommended two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance against the suspect.
“It can be particularly challenging and heartbreaking when you’re working on a case where the victim is a young person,” Insp. Todd Matsumoto said in a press release.
Evidence suggests the 13-year-old victim had tried ecstasy before with little or no effect, according to Staff Sgt. Andrew Perry, and her death is another reminder of the deadly risks of taking illicit drugs.
This is the second time in as many months a young person has died following an overdose of MDMA.
In June, 16-year-old Angel Loyer-Lawrence suffered a fatal overdose after she and a group of friends bought MDMA. A second girl, also 16, had a bad reaction to the drugs and was rushed to the hospital. She survived.
Trafficking charges were also recommended against the man suspected of selling the drugs to Loyer-Lawrence and her friends.
Police are still investigating any possible links between the two cases, Perry said.
“Obviously it’s something that we’re looking at, but at this point in time we don’t have any evidence to suggest that they’re linked or not; however, I know our investigation still is continuing.
The youth arrested in connection with the most recent death has been released on a promise to appear.
