A Fraser Valley man who posted a stolen chainsaw on Facebook has been convicted for drug trafficking after the theft led to a police bust.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Thomas convicted Jeffrey Michael Kizmann on six counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of stolen property.
The March 28 decision was released this week.
The case began when a chainsaw belonging to a Chilliwack-area man called Van Geel (his first name was not in the ruling) was stolen April 10, 2021.
Two days later, he saw it advertised for sale on Facebook Marketplace by a Jeff Kizmann for $650. The chainsaw was worth about $1,500.
Van Geel contacted the seller at the advertised number and arranged to meet at a rink parking lot. He called police and advised them of the meet.
Five officers arrived at the rink beforehand. While they had been advised Kizmann might be driving a truck, he also had a Honda Civic for sale.
A Honda arrived and police saw a man get a chainsaw from the trunk. Officers blocked the Honda with their vehicles and arrested Kizmann, who asked to speak with a lawyer called Chase Readily.
Soon, officers found “a significant amount of controlled drugs” in the car, Thomas said.
In total, police seized:
- 114 grams of fentanyl, consisting of 77 grams of carfentanil and 37 grams of fentanyl, with a value ranging from $12,000 to $22,840;
- 29 grams of methamphetamine with a value between $500 and $1,740; and,
- 31.5 pills of hydromorphone.
“Police discovered the vehicle was insured and registered to a Mr. Moore,” Thomas said. Its history indicated it had been transferred to many registered owners and been associated with criminal activity.
Kizmann has yet to be sentenced.
