[420 Girl]

A Vancouver police constable who grew up on the Semiahmoo Peninsula is facing multiple charges this week in connection with "disturbing and disgraceful" activities uncovered over the past two months.

Peter Hodson, 31, was arrested and charged – and fired – Wednesday morning, Chief Const. Jim Chu announced.

Chu would not disclose many details, but did say investigating officers "observed behaviour that suggested Hodson was trafficking street-level amounts of marijuana both on and off duty."

He has been charged with trafficking marijuana and two counts of breach of trust; one for selling drugs and the other for the illegal use of a police database. Hodson was also charged with break-and-enter with the intent to commit extortion, in connection with street-level drug-trafficking allegations.

He was expected to appear in Vancouver Provincial Court Thursday.

An "extraordinary investigation" into Hodson's activities began two months ago – 18 months after Hodson was charged with impaired driving, a matter that is still before the courts.

"We knew we had a case that would alarm the department and the public," Chu said in a statement, in explaining the resources invested in the investigation. "We had to take immediate and thorough action to determine whether the allegations were true and if they were, if the rot was confined to this one officer."

Approximately 30 Vancouver officers were involved in the investigation; the RCMP provided assistance and senior investigative oversight, Chu said.

Chu said while the VPD is shaken by the "abhorrent incident," there is no evidence any other police officers were involved in the latest offenses, which occurred between Dec. 4, 2009 and April 20, 2010.

He named one other individual, Oscar Lapitan, as a co-accused of Hodson's who is also charged with trafficking marijuana.

Hodson was a Vancouver police officer for less than five years.

On the Peninsula, he attended White Rock Christian Academy, where he played basketball with the Warriors. He reportedly also played for Langara College and University of B.C. teams; and was a founder of Under the Reading Tree, a charitable organization that promotes literacy and education in Africa.

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