DOCTOR CALLED A PUSHER

Jury Told Details Of Scheme

A MID-TOWN Toronto doctor trafficked hundreds of painkillers a day in a
scheme involving a cash-strapped "courier" and a paralegal middle-man, a
jury heard yesterday. "Normally, when you think of trafficking cases, you
think of briefcases full of money and bags full of white powder, and men
wearing expensive suits," federal prosecutor Moiz Rahman said as he
outlined allegations against Dr. Ravi Devgan.

"But the tools of the trade here are a white lab coat, pen and pre-printed
pieces of white paper (prescription orders)."

The prosecutor alleges Devgan, 56, wrote "dozens of prescriptions" for
excessive quantities of narcotic pills. Orders were placed and picked up by
Christopher Bird, 34, an out-of-work handyman. Devgan's associate, Toronto
paralegal Sandy Hutchens, recruited Bird as a courier and paid him $10 per
order, plus gas and drug costs, Rahman said.

Bird pleaded guilty earlier and was sentenced to nine months house arrest,
plus probation.

He testified Hutchens gave him prescriptions for people and had him use
several drug stores, to avoid detection by suspicious pharmacists. Bird
said he saw Hutchens stuff money into an envelope that he delivered to
Devgan's office.

Devgan has pleaded not guilty to trafficking and possession for the
purposes of trafficking oxycodone -- sold under the trade names Percocet
and Percodan -- between Aug. 8, 2001, and Sept. 25, 2001.