Needles and drugs: Meth users’ private struggles are becoming public issues

Aeon Bezazol Evol spends a lot of time at intersections. When the light turns red, he weaves his way in and out of traffic by foot, hoping to collect cash.

Bezazol Evol is homeless. His last hit of crystal meth was a few hours ago. He said he often gets high in restaurant bathrooms.

"Unless I can go to somebody’s house, to a friend’s place, you know,” Bezazol Evol said.

He said he’s never been caught for getting high in a bathroom. When he smokes or injects in a bathroom, he said he cleans up after himself.

“I’m not going to leave a needle there or something like that,” he said.

“It’s not my nature. That would be disrespectful.”

In January, the Bear Clan found what’s believed to be a bag of crystal meth in a restaurant bathroom.

“It was a big bag. It was a considerable amount,” said James Favel of the Bear Clan. “I’m glad that we’re the ones who found it and not someone else.”

Crystal meth has taken hold of hundreds of Winnipeggers and has been described by police as a drug that knows no boundaries.

“When you need your fix, you’re going to take it and you don’t care whether you’re in a school yard,” said Chris Mitton, a 30-year-old former meth addict.

The surge in methamphetamine across Winnipeg has put the Bear Clan on high alert.

In 2017, the group found seven or eight bags of meth and about 4,000 needles.

“We’re coming across it everywhere now. Over the last three years, we’re looking at a tenfold increase year on year,” Favel said.

Walking down a back alley, Mitton and Kevin Waltham spot several needles and broken glass on the ground next to the dumpster.

“Watch your step,” Mitton said cautiously.

“They were using the glass to smoke on,” Waltham notes, pointing to glass tainted by being burned.

There are no drugs in the back alley. Winnipeg Police said it’s rare to find drugs in public.

“A regular individual, if you came upon meth and unless you’re ingesting it, there’s no real danger as opposed to fentanyl where you could accidentally inhale some dust or powder,” said Insp. Max Waddell of the organized crime unit with the Winnipeg Police Service.

While the Bear Clan has been trained on how to properly dispose of needles, its leader isn’t sure how to face meth users.

“The psychosis it brings on in addicts is tremendous and it’s very hard to deal with, especially on a street level,” Favel said.

Winnipeg Police point out how people high on meth can be unpredictable. In May 2017, police shot a man with a makeshift sword in a skywalk. Last week police Chief Danny Smyth said the man who was shot was using meth.

“We’ve seen individuals acting irrationally in the Millennium Library. It really again draws no boundaries,” Waddell said.

Paul Miscavish has been sober for about 2.5 weeks. He said he first tried crystal meth about a year and a half ago. He said when he wanted to buy meth, it was simple as walking to a mall, a restaurant or a street corner.

“It’s all over the city no matter what neighbourhood you’re in. If you’re in Charleswood, if you’re in Fort Richmond, St. James, Westin,” Miscavish said.

“It will kill you. You don’t know who you’re buying it from. There could be a shard of glass in there or something. They could lace it with fentanyl. You don’t know what you’re getting,” Miscavish said.