The former head of Halton’s police drug squad, who once boasted of major busts and encouraged residents to drop-off their unused prescription painkillers so police could properly dispose of them, has been charged with allegations of tampering with dozens of drug exhibits stored in an evidence vault. Brad Murray, a staff sergeant with 16 years on the Halton force, was arrested on Sunday after a seven-month-long internal and external investigation by Toronto police of the drug vault evidence. The probe revealed that roughly 30 exhibits had been tampered with, Halton police said in a press release.“In all instances, the exhibits involved prescription of illicit opioids, the most common example of which is OxyContin,” the police release stated. Murray is charged with obstruction of justice and two counts each of theft under $5,000 and breach of trust. He did not respond to numerous requests for comment from the Star. The problems with the drug vault evidence have thrown Halton drug prosecutions into jeopardy, as the Star has previously reported. An internal police audit in November found at least 36 exhibits where the packaging or contents “may have been compromised,” according to a description of the findings. In November, Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner requested that Toronto police conduct “an independent, external criminal investigation relating to exhibits,” according to the press release. “We recognize the impact such news brings to you, the people we serve, and to the reputation of our service,” Tanner said in the release on Sunday. “It violates public trust in the work we do and is an affront to the Canadian justice system as a whole. As such we are committed to dealing with this issue transparently and thoroughly.” Murray was a member and supervisor of Halton’s Drug and Morality Unit from January 2013 to May 2016 “during which time the criminal offences are alleged ...
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