A man in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, pleaded guilty to charges related to the use of his pizza shop to sell fentanyl and other illegal substances. Safeer Nazir, former co-owner of Day and Night Pizza, was charged after an investigation by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) revealed that drugs were being sold from the pizzeria. Safeer Nazir and co-owner, Raja Nazir, were reportedly trading stolen liquor and groceries for drugs, which were sometimes sold to customers by hiding them in pizza boxes. The suspects were accused of also selling meth from their restaurant, and the investigation was launched after community members filed complaints to the police.
Day and Night Pizza had become “well-known to police” by the time the suspects were arrested, according to an agreed statement of facts reviewed by the Edmonton Journal. Undercover investigations in 2017 and 2019 allowed EPS officers to buy cocaine from one of the proprietors. In October 2021, an undercover officer received fentanyl from the suspects in exchange for items like cheese and alcohol. Following the execution of warrants at the pizzeria and a home related to the Nazirs, a larger quantity of prepackaged fentanyl was found in pizza boxes throughout the restaurant kitchen. Both men were charged with various drug-related offenses, and authorities seized over $60,000 worth of illegal substances and cash from the locations searched.
Safeer Nazir pleaded guilty to two charges in court and confirmed his understanding of the plea to Court of King’s Bench Justice John Little. He is currently free on bail and awaits sentencing next month. The fentanyl crisis in Canada has resulted in over 40,000 deaths from apparent opioid toxicity between January 2016 and September 2023. Fentanyl made up 82 percent of opioid-related deaths last year, nearly doubling the figure from 2016. In response to the crisis, some cities in Canada have established overdose prevention sites where people can use drugs safely and under supervision, though these sites are sometimes met with opposition from local community members.
The EPS investigation into Safeer and Raja Nazir’s operation of Day and Night Pizza revealed a pattern of drug sales from the pizzeria, with undercover officers able to make purchases of cocaine and fentanyl from the proprietors. The suspects reportedly accepted stolen items in exchange for drugs, which were then sometimes hidden in pizza boxes for sale to customers. Following the arrests of the suspects, authorities seized a significant quantity of fentanyl, meth, and cocaine from the locations associated with the Nazirs, resulting in charges related to drug trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The impact of the fentanyl crisis in Canada, with a significant number of opioid-related deaths attributed to the drug, has prompted government and health organizations to take action. Despite the prevalence of fentanyl in opioid-related deaths, some cities have implemented overdose prevention sites to provide a safe and supervised environment for drug use. While these sites have been praised by many for potentially saving lives, they often face opposition from certain community members who do not want them established in their cities. Safeer Nazir’s guilty plea in the fentanyl trafficking case highlights the serious consequences of involvement in the illegal drug trade.
