Former Toronto police drug squad officer Brian Sukhram cried in a downtown court Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and methamphetamine, breach of trust and obstructing justice.

Ontario Court Justice Joseph Callaghan sentenced the 39-year-old officer to four years in prison, agreeing to a joint position from Crown and defence.

Sukhram was then taken into custody to begin serving his sentence.

Just minutes earlier, Sukhram stood up and addressed the court through tears.

“I just want to apologize. I just want to thank the Crowns. I want to thank my lawyer as well, Gary, I just want to apologize,” Sukhram sobbed.

“This is a sad day for Mr. Sukhram,” defence lawyer Gary Clewley told the court. “For 13 years, he served the community. He risked his safety and his life to serve and protect. At the beginning of September 2023, he sought help. He has expressed remorse.”

According to an agreed statement of facts, on July 3, 2024, Sukhram worked overtime to process property he and fellow drug squad officers had seized after executing a search warrant on Jarvis Street on July 2, 2024, at the home of an accused known as Kenneth G.

Mr. G was arrested after undercover drug squad officers bought cocaine and MDMA from him during a street-level drug investigation.

After departing the Toronto Police Service drug squad parking lot around 1:24 a.m. in plain clothes while wearing a black JanSport backpack, Sukhram entered an unmarked 2018 TPS Honda Accord and drove away.

The facts state that shortly after exiting the parking lot, Sukhram was involved in a collision at a construction site approximately 800 metres away, causing damage to construction equipment and his car. He failed to remain and continued to drive into Peel Region, where he was involved in further driving offences and ultimately arrested by Peel Regional Police at 2:06 a.m.

Those driving offences were the subject of a separate proceeding in Peel.

During a search conducted by Peel Regional Police officers, the backpack was located in the front passenger seat area of the car. Inside the backpack, officers located a sealed, plastic TPS evidence bag containing 83.65 grams of methamphetamine, 147 grams of crack cocaine in a clear plastic baggie and a quantity of erectile dysfunction pills.

In addition, $2,229 in Canadian currency was found in Sukhram’s pocket, rolled up with an elastic.

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The facts state that subsequent to the arrest, the TPS Professional Standards Unit started an investigation into the source of the controlled substances found on Sukhram upon his arrest. That investigation was later taken over by the Ontario Provincial Police in early 2025.

The investigation revealed that Sukhram was not on duty at the time of his arrest and had no reason to be in possession of those substances. It also revealed that the batch ID numbers on some of the erectile dysfunction packages seized from Sukhram matched the batch ID numbers on packages seized during the search warrant at Mr. G’s residence.

The approximate value of the 83.65 grams of methamphetamine seized ranges from $1,200 to $8,365, depending on how it’s sold, based on 2024 prices. The meth seized from Mr. G and the 83.65 grams in Sukhram’s possession both tested at 100 per cent purity.

The cocaine located in Sukhram’s possession was determined to have an 82 per cent purity level and was cut with Levamisole. The approximate value of 147 grams of cocaine ranges from $4,725 to $17,640, depending on how it is sold, based on 2024 prices.

The facts state the TPS evidence bag found in Sukhram’s backpack had a number in sequence with evidence bags in his office desk at the drug squad on July 4, 2024.

Mr. G. was charged with various offences, including trafficking and possession of Schedule I, II, and IV substances. However, because of Sukhram’s arrest and charges, Mr. G’s prosecution was subsequently stayed by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC). The PPSC also stayed charges from four other TPS Drug Squad investigations in 2024 involving Sukhram’s team.

In regard to the driving offences in Peel in February, Sukhram pleaded guilty to impaired operation and flight from police.

According to the agreed facts in that case, Sukhram, who acted for more than five years as an undercover officer purchasing drugs from drug dealers, many of whom were armed, turned to alcohol to deal with the stress of his job.

In September 2023, he sought and paid for the assistance of a mental health psychotherapist. He sought a way out of his work-life imbalance.

On July 3, 2024, after participating in the execution of a search warrant in the premises of a drug dealer, he returned to the drug squad office and began consuming alcohol.

Sukhram then went out to buy pizza for his team and consumed more alcohol. Not long after, he left to go home. It was then that he drove into a construction site and significantly damaged his car. He panicked and drove away from the scene.

Once in Peel, the facts state Sukhram was observed by an ambulance operator driving erratically. The occupants of the ambulance alerted police, who attempted a tandem stop, but Sukhram drove away. He continued driving in an erratic manner, for a time driving the wrong way, and through two red lights without stopping.

Finally, a number of police cars were able to box Sukhram in, but not before he made contact with two police cars, causing damage to them and causing minor injuries to some police officers.

Sukhram was arrested and charged with a number of driving offences. His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at the time of the collision was 180 mg/100 ml of blood, or more than twice the legal limit.

The officer was subsequently suspended without pay and has been diagnosed with complex PTSD, substance use disorder (alcohol) and anxiety disorder with panic features.

Sukhram is scheduled to be sentenced on those two charges in Brampton on June 12.

Callaghan told the court in handing down his sentence on Tuesday that Sukhram pleaded guilty to a series of offences committed while he was a police officer and had no criminal record at the time.

The judge called the case a “serious breach of trust,” given that the crimes were committed through Sukhram’s employment.

“His criminal conduct as a police officer degrades public trust. It’s extremely aggravating. The offences strike at the heart of the administration of justice,” said Callaghan.

“The fact Schedule I substances are involved is also an aggravating factor. I see too many lives broken because of the use of crack cocaine substances,” the judge added.

The judge also noted there were consequences to other prosecutions that could not go ahead because of Sukhram’s actions.

Callaghan said mitigating factors include the fact that Sukhram pleaded guilty, saving multiple weeks of court time, is remorseful, has no prior criminal record and has a pro-social background.

“His career is over and that career has ended in a very public way. That is inevitable when a police officer chooses to commit criminal offences,” said Callaghan.

Just before being led out of the courtroom, the judge wished Sukhram well.

“Mr. Sukhram, this is clearly a dark chapter in your life. You’re still a young man. This is clearly a difficult sentence given your previous job as a police officer, but I hope you take the time to reflect, continue to work on yourself, prepare yourself to re-enter society and continue to contribute to the betterment of society,” said Callaghan.