Military pharmacist fined $10K for stealing hundreds of amphetamine pills in B.C.

Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, near Victoria, B.C., is shown in this undated file photo.

A Canadian Armed Forces pharmacist was fined $10,000 and given a severe reprimand Wednesday after admitting to stealing hundreds of pills from a British Columbia military base to feed his spiralling drug addiction.

Capt. Fitim Hajrizaj, a 43-year-old officer with nine years of service in the Forces, pleaded guilty to one count of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline following the theft of more than 500 amphetamine pills from a pharmacy at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in 2022.

An emotional Hajrizaj told a military court in Victoria that his behaviour at the time was out of character for him, and was motivated by his worsening addiction and failing mental health.

Pharmacy records and surveillance video described in court showed Hajrizaj repeatedly entered the medical centre and accessed its secure storage area after hours between January and October 2022.

When an empty amphetamine capsule was found in a staff stairwell that October, an inventory of the drug storage area revealed several pills were missing and Hajrizaj had twice accessed the secure area before the pharmacy opened that morning.

Investigators found that just over 500 of the amphetamine pills had been taken over several months, while nearly 200 more had been emptied or otherwise tampered with, according to the court.

The pharmacist initially told his supervisors he had returned the missing pills to the manufacturer, but when the manufacturer was contacted, the company said no such returns had been authorized or received.

In an interview with military police, Hajrizaj admitted to taking the pills for his own personal use, telling investigators he had convinced himself he wasn't stealing because he needed them as a form of self-medication.

Loss of trust, morale

The commanding officer of the health services centre provided an impact statement on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces, describing the erosion of trust and loss of morale caused by the actions of someone entrusted with the safety and well-being of military members.

Addressing Hajrizaj directly during her sentencing, military judge Capt. Julie Deschenes noted Hajrizaj showed genuine remorse for his actions, as evidenced in his guilty plea and tearful statement to the court.

"You owned up to your problematic conduct, taking full responsibility for your actions," Deschenes said. "I have no doubt that this was not easy, but you eventually did the right thing, and that is taken into consideration."

Hajrizaj was ordered to pay the $10,000 fine within 30 days.

Earlier this year, the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia fined Hajrizaj $1,000 for the same infraction, finding he had misappropriated controlled drugs and falsified records to conceal the conduct while working at a federally regulated facility.

Hajrizaj's registration with the college was suspended for 90 days and he was banned from managing a pharmacy for three years as part of a consent agreement he signed with the professional regulator.

The pharmacist was also prohibited from placing or receiving orders of narcotics or other controlled substances, and banned from handling or conducting inventory counts on such medications over the same period.