Teen sentenced to youth prison for selling MDMA to girl who died of overdose

A Metro Vancouver boy has been sentenced to four months in a youth prison for selling MDMA to two 13-year-olds that led to one of them dying of an overdose.

The suspect was sentenced to open custody in the youth prison, which is a less supervised stay compared to a secure custody sentence for more serious offences. The teen was also sentenced to two months of community supervision and 18 months of intensive support and supervision, according to New Westminster Police.

Because the suspect is a youth, police have not released his name.

Police say the boy was a street-level drug dealer, and on July 15, 2017, he sold MDMA to two 13-year-olds at the 22nd Street SkyTrain station in New Westminster.

As the 13-year-olds returned home to Port Coquitlam, one of them went into medical distress. She later died at Royal Columbian Hospital, according to police. Toxicology reports confirmed she died of a lethal dose of MDMA.

The boy who sold them the drugs plead guilty in September 2018 to one count of trafficking a controlled substance.

“We continue to work closely with our community partners to help educate teenagers about the risk of drug use, and to provide assistance to parents and guardians as they navigate the challenges and complexities of supporting their teenagers,” Sgt. Jeff Scott said.