An inspector from the BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (BCLCRB) recently got more than he bargained for at a bar in Haida Gwaii.
According to a recent ruling, the undercover liquor inspector was offered a bump of what appeared to be cocaine and confronted by men with knives inside the establishment.
The adjudicator heard that the inspection took place at the Misty Harbour Inn in Daajing Giids in the early-morning hours of March 1, shortly before the bar’s 2 am closing time.
The inspector entered the establishment around 1 am, ordered a beer and sat on the left side of the bar before being approached by a “large male” (LM) who introduced himself as the owner of the bar.
After a conversation, the LM reportedly asked the inspector if he would like to do a “bump” as he pulled a clear plastic bag containing a white powder from his pocket.
“A ‘bump’ is a slang term normally referring to inhaling a small dose of a drug such as cocaine,” the BCLCRB ruling clarified.
When the inspector declined the offer, the LM jokingly accused him of being a cop, then ordered a round of 18 shots for customers at the bar.
The adjudicator heard that the LM then introduced the inspector to a man he introduced as the bar’s third-party operator (TPO), at which point the LM repeated his joke about him being a cop.
“After this, in an intimidating manner and in clear view of the head bartender and other patrons, (the LM) pulled out a foldable knife from his pants pocket, opened the knife and pointed it towards the inspector,” the ruling explained.
The knife reportedly had a four-to-five-inch blade and it wasn’t the only one the inspector saw.
The TPO proceeded to pull out a curved, non-foldable knife from the waist area of his pants and began twirling it in a figure-eight motion, also in view of the head bartender and other patrons.
“(The LM) then raised his fists to the inspector and asked him if he wanted to fight,” continued the ruling.
“He placed his cellphone in front of the Inspector’s face and took several pictures of him. (The LM) subsequently walked away, telling other patrons that the inspector was a ‘cop’ as he did so.”
When another male patron approached the inspector and told him he “should just go along with whatever (the LM) says, so there aren’t any problems,” he took that as a warning.
As (the LM) continued to approach others in the bar and claim that the inspector was a cop, the inspector decided to leave the establishment around 1:45 am due to personal safety concerns.
Fifteen minutes later, when at a safe location, he called the RCMP and reported the incident. The ruling noted that the TPO was arrested the next day and officers seized multiple knives from him.
Criminal charges were laid in connection to the incident, but there had been no conclusion to the court case at the time of the BCLCRB hearing.
While the bar’s liquor license was suspended for two weeks in March, the later hearing resulted in a $3,000 fine because the establishment allowed a person with a knife to remain on the premises.
The BCLCRB had sought a $5,000 penalty, but the adjudicator imposed a lesser fine because the establishment had no prior history of this issue and already served the 14-day suspension.
The Misty Harbour Inn, which is made up of a hotel, bar and liquor store, is currently listed for sale at a price of $998,000.
