Norm Boucher

In Horseplay, Norm Boucher, a decorated RCMP officer, has written a gripping account of his eight-month stretch spent undercover in Vancouver’s heroin scene in the early 1980s. Boucher, an experienced undercover operative at the time he took on the assignment, puts his own life on hold and immerses himself in a seamy and dangerous subculture centered on the “Granville strip,” Vancouver’s entertainment district. The target of the operation are the suppliers who import and process drugs for distribution, but Boucher, adopting the persona of “Nick” from St. George, begins his assignment hanging out in the bar at the Blackstone Hotel, a preferred spot for addicts and street-level dealers to do business. It is only after months of effort, his steady presence on the strip inspiring trust, that he is able to work his way up the ranks and make contact with a few senior dealers and suppliers. Boucher’s suspenseful narrative dwells largely on the procedural aspects of his assignment and describes strategies that undercover cops use to give their stories legitimacy and gain the confidence of targets. Norm Boucher is cautious and observant, patient and methodical. He never takes his eye off his team’s ultimate goal, which is to block the flow of drugs to the street and put the suppliers in prison. But to do this they must build a solid case that will stand up in court. The dangers Boucher faces are real, and the reader witnesses some tense moments when his veracity as a dealer and drug user is questioned. But there is a human side to this tale. The victims of the drug crisis are the addicts who congregate at the Blackstone, looking to score and get their daily high, and he gives these encounters plenty of space. The reader finishes Horseplay with a jarring impression of naked human need colliding with a coldblooded business that callously and thoughtlessly robs people of their dignity, their health, even their lives. Boucher concludes his memoir with a call for compassion and an ardent plea for better understanding of addiction as a disease. The message is one that cannot be repeated often enough, and will continue to resonate as we wrestle with the latest drug crisis.… (más)