Fatal overdoses and sexual assault: GHB, which is easily manufactured on a large scale using over-the-counter products, destroys lives. And the courts do not take this into account sufficiently when they punish manufacturers of the “date rape drug,” complains the sister of one victim.
Published at 1:29 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
Three men responsible for one of the largest GHB production networks in Canada recently escaped with prison sentences of less than ten years.
Sébastien Turcotte, 44, Éric Matte, 42, and Jean-Philippe Robitaille, 45, pleaded guilty to several drug trafficking-related charges at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse last fall. According to the parties' joint proposal, they received 7, 6 and 5 years in prison, respectively.
Sophie Livernoche is surprised at such a lenient sentence. GHB, a fairly powerful drug, is believed to have caused the death of his sister Kim in 2021. Consumed with evil intentions, this substance can ruin a life and even kill.
Sophie Livernoche is also baffled by the lack of prevention and the stereotypical view of GHB. “There are people who use it voluntarily,” she says, “but others are given it without knowing it.” There are many ways to be drunk. »
Well-established network
According to information revealed during the investigation into the release of the three bandits, the quantities of chemicals purchased and processed by the three bandits may have resulted in the production of 14 to 43 million doses of GHB. Sold individually, this drug could have generated sales of $14 million to $43 million.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
Sébastien Turcotte, Éric Matte and Jean-Philippe Robitaille were arrested last February after a long investigation.
Between December 14, 2021 and April 12, 2022 alone, 76 to 89 buckets full of GHB were transported through the organization, representing 346,210 doses and 1,084,910 doses, according to documents filed at the bail hearing.
The three men faced multiple charges related to the manufacture, distribution and possession of illegal substances.
Note that they did not admit the facts mentioned at the bail hearing, where an investigator explained the dark side of the police investigation that allowed the lab to be dismantled.
The trio conducted their business through a well-established network, according to the bail hearing, at which its members were required to plead neither guilty nor not guilty.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
Éric Matte was arrested at his home in Terrebonne.
They were arrested in February 2023 after a long investigation by the North Shore Regional Mixed Squad (ERM), we learn from the documents. The police monitored Sébastien Turcotte and Éric Matte intensively from 2021. They were already suspected of being involved in the large-scale distribution of GHB.
The whole thing had the appearance of a family business, in which some took care of the delivery and others the production: Jean-Philippe Robitaille also admitted to having procured various products that he gave to his good brother Sébastien Turcotte. The latter used three raw materials to produce GHB.
The “ingredients” could be legally obtained through the companies Opti-Mixx and Ingrédients Dépôt, according to the statement of facts at the bail hearing.
Between 2014 and 2022, Turcotte purchased more than 36,000 liters of raw materials and 4,300 buckets for $915,000, paid in cash, according to court documents filed during the bail investigation.
It is stated that he transported these products to the laboratory himself in a U-Haul truck. Everything was then delivered in liquid form in 20 liter buckets.
A laboratory at home
One of the three members of the network, worthy of the TV series “Breaking Bad,” had everything at home to make and process the drug. The lab was located in a temporary outdoor facility next to Turcotte's home in Terrebonne. During a search following the arrest, products were found in the shed and garage, including five burners and five vats.
In this small hideout attached to the house, police also discovered enormous quantities of the three readily available ingredients used to make the “date rape drug.”
The SQ team seized quite the haul: $260,000, divided into six envelopes, mostly in $50 or $100 bills, in the safe in the home's master bedroom. Police also found $40,000 in a shoe rack.
“It needs to be monitored more closely”
Sophie Livernoche, whose sister died under unclear circumstances after consuming GHB, is warning the public about the dangers of what she believes is a drug that is too widespread and underestimated.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SOPHIE LIVERNOCHE
Kim Livernoche lost her life in 2021.
His sister Kim Livernoche died in 2021, presumably after being drugged with GHB, under circumstances that remain unclear as the investigation into her death is ongoing.
According to the coroner, his sister died of respiratory failure due to a mixture of sleeping pills and GHB. She had been taking medication for several years to help her sleep better.
“I always saw it as the date rape drug that was given to you without your knowledge and that made you forget the evening. But many people are unaware of its effects, including those who sell and consume it.
“I have the impression that we don't punish. I really believe that anything that is a strong drug really needs to be monitored more closely,” she concludes.
Emergency detection kits
Emergency rooms in Quebec are now equipped with kits to detect the presence of the date rape drug, also known as gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), in patients' urine. These kits make it easier to report sex offenders and provide better support to victims. The detection window varies depending on the substance, but GHB can be detected within 10 to 12 hours after intoxication.