A repeat offender operating an online drug store pleaded guilty to a series of drug trafficking charges on Tuesday. Even if his network is linked to two fatal overdoses of young Montrealers, there is no indication that Laxshan Mylvaganam participated in these specific transactions. He therefore got away with a sentence of three and a half years in penitentiary.
Published yesterday at 7:36 p.m.
The story so far
- December 2023: A 15-year-old teenager, Mathis Boivin, dies of a fatal overdose after consuming a synthetic opioid tablet purchased from a store active on social networks.
- May 2024: A 19-year-old young man, Nikian Levesque-Vanny, dies after consuming a tablet purchased from the same store.
- September 2024: At the end of an infiltration operation, the SPVM arrests two suspects active within the network.
The online store “Kushtard”, active on the Instagram and Telegram platforms, fell into the crosshairs of the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) following the death by overdose of young Mathis Boivin, 15 years old. , which moved Quebec last winter.
The store boasted that it was open “from noon to midnight.” Its social media accounts regularly sent their hundreds of subscribers screenshots of new arrivals for home delivery: cannabis, ketamine, counterfeit tablets imitating Xanax, Dilaudid or OxyContin.
After discovering that Mathis Boivin had purchased synthetic opioid tablets from this network, the police set up an undercover operation to catch his dealers.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
A photo of young Mathis Boivin, who died of an opioid overdose
When police hit the network, they seized a variety of drugs from the Audi Q5 and the home of 24-year-old Laxshan Mylvaganam: cannabis, Xanax, LSD, methamphetamine, as well as isotonitazene tablets, a powerful opioid. synthesis.
The investigation showed that the accused was in custody for other similar crimes at the time of Mathis Boivin’s death.
No evidence allows us to link it directly to the death of Mathis Boivin.
Me Marie-Christine Lajoie-Filion, Crown prosecutor, during Tuesday’s hearing
In September, The Press had revealed that another young Montrealer, Nikian Levesque-Vanny, 19, had lost his life after consuming a drug tablet purchased on the same platform, but once again, no evidence directly links Laxshan Mylvaganam with this specific transaction , at this stage.
On parole at the time of his arrest
On Tuesday, the accused pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking and several counts of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking. Judge Éric Poudrier endorsed the joint suggestion of the Crown and the defense and imposed a sentence of 42 months in penitentiary.
The magistrate noted that Mr Mylvaganam was on parole at the time of his arrest last September. He received a 36-month sentence following his arrest in 2022 by Montreal police in possession of a weapon and various types of drugs. Undercover agents posed as customers looking for other types of narcotics, but in two transactions, the accused gave them synthetic opioid pills as a “bonus,” free of charge.
“The quantities in the background were much greater than what he has here, and he does not have a firearm,” noted Mr. Mylvaganam’s lawyer, Mr.e Gary Martin.
Same type of offenses
The defendant, who was returned behind bars in September, will have to complete that 36-month sentence before starting to serve his new 42-month sentence.
“Isotonitazene is really a drug that is very dangerous for all of your compatriots in society. I won’t say any more. It will remain up to you to take the path you choose, since you have already had this opportunity the first time, and unfortunately, we see you again today in court with the same type of offense,” lamented the Judge Poudrier.
“I wish you good luck. I hope we won’t see you here again,” he concluded.
