A former prison guard has been sentenced to four years in jail for accepting bribes and smuggling contraband to inmates at the Surrey Pretrial Centre.
Sedrick Dang, 26, pleaded guilty in July to breach of trust by a public officer and accepting a bribe as a public officer. He was sentenced Monday (Dec. 2) in Surrey Provincial Court.
At his sentencing hearing last month, the court heard that Dang worked at the Surrey jail for about 18 months prior to his arrest.
A joint sentencing submission presented by Crown prosecutor Alisia Adams and defence lawyer Raj Basra said there were several United Nations (UN) gang members in Surrey Pretrial during the time Dang was accused of his crimes. It was a search of one of the gang member's cells in September 2012 that triggered the investigation of Dang.
The first search revealed a hole cut into a desk, with 200-plus pills inside, as well as a syringe and vials of steroids.
Searches of two other prison cells found more capsules and pills – mainly oxycodone and Percocet – a USB stick containing pornography, knives, screwdrivers, cell phones, marijuana, and wrapped packages of a white substance. Some of the items were found hidden behind electrical outlets.
Dang was charged after undercover officers posed as UN gang affiliates to see if he'd accept bribes. The faux gangsters said they'd pay Dang $2,000 to bring a cell phone, charger and battery into the prison. Dang agreed and was arrested Nov. 14, 2012 at Surrey Pretrial with the phone and other items in a clear bag in his pocket.
sreynolds@surreyleader.com