Episode 2: Move That Dope

Summary

Cool Mules | Canadaland Investigates
Episode 2: Move That Dope
Release Date: June 11, 2025

Introduction: Unveiling the Dark Underbelly of Vice

In the gripping second episode of Cool Mules, hosted by Canadaland's investigative team, listeners are plunged into a harrowing tale of deception, exploitation, and crime within the esteemed media company Vice. The episode meticulously dissects how Slava Pastuk, a Vice editor, manipulated young journalists into participating in a high-stakes cocaine smuggling operation targeting Australia.

The Proposition: Slava's Recruitment Strategy
Timestamp: [02:16]

Jake Kivansch, a budding journalist and Vice intern, candidly begins the narrative:

“I didn't really understand anything until I was propositioned myself.” - Jake Kivansch [02:16]

Slava Pastuk, introduced as a former Vice editor now facing drug conspiracy charges, recounts his initial interaction with Jake:

“He said that I would need to travel to Las Vegas for a week and then I would travel to Australia for a week. I travel back to Canada, and all I had to do was bring a suitcase. And then when I got back to Canada, they paid me 10,000 Canadian.” - Jake Kivansch [02:40]

This proposition appeared innocuous at first, masking a sinister agenda behind the façade of lucrative rewards.

The Operation: Mechanics of the Smuggling Scheme
Timestamp: [06:42]

Slava details the smuggling operation, emphasizing its purported "foolproof" design:

“Canadian couples first went to Vegas, where they were met by a contact who provided them with suitcases containing hidden compartments... they needed a steady flow of new bodies to make the trips. They needed mules.” - Slava Pastuk [07:55]

Mia Johnson, another participant, elaborates on the daily execution:

“They would send a guy and a girl from Canada into America. While they're in America, they would meet up with another party who would give them a new set of luggage, replacing their existing luggage with a new set of luggage, which was lined with what we assumed at the time was cocaine and it ended up being cocaine.” - Mia Johnson [06:42]

The operation exploited individuals’ financial desperation, promising easy money in exchange for their unwitting involvement in international drug trafficking.

Participants' Reactions: Temptation and Ethical Dilemmas
Timestamp: [08:28]

Mia reflects on her initial motivations:

“At first, coming into this, I wasn't. I didn't have money... I thought, this sounds like easy money. This sounds like a no risk, all reward type of scheme.” - Mia Johnson [08:57]

Jake shares his internal conflict:

“I almost did it... I was broke. I trusted this guy... I was looking for tons of people's approval and advice, but I just didn't want to... I didn't want to be the person to appear, like, not up to the job in front of Slava.” - Jake Kivansch [31:03]

Both journalists grappled with the allure of financial relief against the moral and legal repercussions of their potential actions.

The Workplace Culture at Vice: A Realm of Ambiguity and Pressure
Timestamp: [34:37]

Jake criticizes the ambiguous ethical guidelines at Vice:

“Everything's so ambiguous. Like there's no ethics or guidelines for yourself, really. And so there's no ethics and guidelines for other people.” - Jake Kivansch [34:53]

Slava's recruitment tactics exploited this lack of clarity, presenting illicit activities under the guise of professional opportunities, thereby pressuring interns into compliance.

Consequences and Realizations: The Turning Point
Timestamp: [36:18]

As pressure mounts, Jake confesses the isolation he felt:

“Carrying Slava's secret felt really lonely. But then... I asked if you'd ever traffic drugs for $10,000? Instantly, three people looked towards me and said, Slava.” - Jake Kivansch [37:00]

This revelation underscores the widespread manipulation within the workplace, highlighting how Slava targeted vulnerable individuals to sustain his smuggling operation.

Aftermath: Legal Repercussions and Personal Fallout
Timestamp: [43:43]

The episode reveals that Slava’s actions led to significant legal consequences:

“Slava pled guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine to Australia.” - Slava Pastuk [12:22]

Participants like Jake and Mia emerged with profound regrets and a deeper understanding of the complexities within their professional environment.

Conclusions and Insights: A Cautionary Tale
Final Remarks: [43:50]

Cool Mules concludes by emphasizing the ripple effects of Slava's exploitation:

“There's people who now have suffered, who've lost all the time that I've had since. To think about it, they've just sat in a jail.” - Jake Kivansch [43:43]

The episode serves as a stark warning about the perils of workplace manipulation and the devastating impact of unethical leadership.

Key Takeaways:

• Exploitation of Vulnerability: Slava Pastuk leveraged the financial desperation and ambition of young journalists to facilitate a large-scale drug smuggling operation.

• Ambiguous Ethical Standards: Vice's unclear ethical guidelines created a permissive environment, enabling Slava's illicit activities to flourish unchecked.

• Personal Dilemmas: Participants faced intense moral conflicts, torn between the promise of financial gain and the knowledge of engaging in criminal behavior.

• Legal and Personal Repercussions: The fallout from the operation led to legal consequences for Slava and lasting emotional and professional impacts on those involved.

Notable Quotes:

• Jake Kivansch [02:16]: “I didn't really understand anything until I was propositioned myself.”

• Mia Johnson [08:57]: “This sounds like easy money. This sounds like a no risk, all reward type of scheme.”

• Jake Kivansch [34:53]: “Everything's so ambiguous. Like there's no ethics or guidelines for yourself, really.”

Conclusion:

Cool Mules masterfully unravels a complex web of deceit and moral compromise within Vice, offering listeners a compelling narrative that underscores the importance of ethical standards and the dire consequences of their absence. This episode not only sheds light on the specific case of Slava Pastuk but also serves as a broader commentary on workplace culture and personal integrity.

Transcript

[Josie Santee]

Hey, this is Josie Santee from the Every Girl podcast and this episode is brought to you by Nordstrom. Summer's here and Nordstrom has everything you need for your best dressed season ever. From beach days and weddings to weekend getaways in your everyday wardrobe. Discover stylish options under $100 from tons of your favorite brands like Mango Skims, Princess Polly and Madewell. It's easy too, with free shipping and free returns in store. Order pickup and more. Shop today in stores [e-mail] or download.

[Hannah]

The Nordstrom app Hi guys, it's Hannah from Giggly Squad with some around the corner. I wanted to tell you guys how I'm staying comfy and stylish. Lululemon is my secret weapon. There are plenty of copycats out there, but nothing compares to the Lululemon fabrics and fit. I've literally had my pair of Lululemon leggings so since college and I'm out of college, I know I don't look it, but I am. The quality is next level. I especially love the Lululemon Align collection. It's made with this weightless, buttery, soft nulu fabric that feels like next to nothing. It's so soft, whether you're in aligned pants, shorts, a bra, tank, skirt, a dress, you get non stop flexibility in every direction so you can stretch the summer limits. Align even wicks, sweat and as a sweaty girl, I love this. You know it's going to be my best friend when I play tennis this Shop the Aligned collection [e-mail] or your nearest Lululemon store.

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[Jake Kivansch]

I didn't really understand anything until I was propositioned myself.

[Slava Pastuk]

This is Jake kivansch. Back in 2015 when he was still a teenager, he was an intern at Vice Canada's Toronto office when Slava Pastuk was their music editor. One day Slava propositioned Jake with a job that had nothing to do with journalism.

[Jake Kivansch]

He said that I would need to travel to Las Vegas for a week and then I would Travel to Australia for a week. I travel back to Canada, and all I had to do was bring a suitcase. And then when I got back to Canada, they paid me 10,000 Canadian.

[Slava Pastuk]

And this was Jake's first reaction.

[Jake Kivansch]

He was just kind of like, you down? And I didn't know what else to say. So I was like, oh, yeah, like I'm interested.

[Slava Pastuk]

I'm Kasia Mihailovic, and this is Cool Mules.

[Mia Johnson]

When I'm talking about that old Vice.

[Jake Kivansch]

It was mostly just being shitty to your interns.

[Mia Johnson]

Once he became an editor at Vice.

[Slava Pastuk]

That definitely put him in a category of direct rapport.

[Mia Johnson]

In some cases, it put him in.

[Slava Pastuk]

The category of being management or a boss.

[Jake Kivansch]

Sometimes bad people get into good jobs and exploit the power they have. You know, that is the nature of work.

[Slava Pastuk]

Last time we met, Slava Pasakov, the former Vice editor and future inmate who was waiting to plead guilty to drug conspiracy charges.

[Mia Johnson]

I definitely do think I'm the probably one of the. I'm the biggest music journalist to have ever come from Toronto, and probably like the top five in Canada. I mean, Nardwarwar was never on the front page of a newspaper for a drug trafficking scheme.

[Slava Pastuk]

Back in the fall of 2015, Saivo was still just a web journalist on the lookout. He told us, for a knockout crime story. He wanted to secure his job at Vice, maybe even become a host of one of the many new TV shows Vice was developing after they struck up a $100 million deal with a big media partner. And then one day at his apartment, Slava says his friend Trey, whose real name, I have learned, is Michael Ford, told Slava about two jacked Canadian bros operating a cocaine smuggling ring across exotic locales like Brazil, Thailand, and Toronto. Slava doesn't want to implicate these two men, so in talking to us, he called the two men Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Mike said Slava knew them both from his time at McGill University in Montreal.

[Mia Johnson]

I go, you know, this would be a really interesting story. Like, I want to figure out how this works.

[Slava Pastuk]

So he asked Michael to put him in touch. Slava said he and his friend, a former Vice coworker named Ali Taki Lalji, met Michael and these bros at Soho House. It's the Toronto chapter of a private social club popular with media and marketing types and recently hyped as Meghan Markle's Toronto hangout. There's no Soho House sign outside the downtown mansion where it's located. The idea is that you just have to know that it's in there. And that's where Slaba says he first met Tweedledum and Tweedledee over dinner along with Ellie and Mike.

[Mia Johnson]

Everyone involved in this is like model esque, good looking. And these people have like great skin and a great way about them and incredibly well read. And you can just tell. And they also always say that they're flying from B.C. to Toronto first class, and they're staying at the Fairmont. And these guys live a very luxurious lifestyle. Not to mention that they picked up our entire tab at the Soho House, which is pretty extensive because we were there for a while. But they mentioned how they had gotten into this and how it afforded them the luxury to do whatever they wanted. And it just. They described this lifestyle that was intoxicating.

[Slava Pastuk]

I haven't been able to confirm who Tweedledum and Tweedledee are and get their side of the story. As for their existence, two other people involved in the story each said they met a person, one named Phil and the other named Yaz, who seemed to be running things. And of course, the 37 kilos of cocaine seized in Australia had to come from somewhere. But in telling you about this meeting, we have only Slava's account to go on.

[Mia Johnson]

These guys are just the most interesting people I've ever met. And they start selling me and Ali on what it is that they do. We just call them the trips, people taking trips. So essentially, they would send a guy and a girl from Canada into America. While they're in America, they would meet up with another party who would give them a new set of luggage, replacing their existing luggage with a new set of luggage, which was lined with what we assumed at the time was cocaine and was ended up being cocaine. They would then travel with that luggage from America into Australia, where they would meet up with another person who would take the luggage with the goods. And upon returning back to Canada, they would be $20,000 richer and have a free trip to Australia under their belt.

[Slava Pastuk]

The operation, as Slava understood it, had been honed to perfection. Canadian couples first went to Vegas, where they were met by a contact who provided them with suitcases containing hidden compartments. He was told they ran multiple trips to Australia every week and had been doing so for at least two years. But they needed a steady flow of new bodies to make the trips. They needed mules.

[Mia Johnson]

They need people to go through the airport customs that will not arouse suspicion. So what they were looking for was couples, man and a woman, preferably white, preferably college aged or under 40, people that would look like they'd be on vacation to Australia, and they would have you make up a story if you were indeed questioned.

[Slava Pastuk]

Slava had just met these guys, and they had just met him. Yet here they were revealing their international criminal conspiracy to him and soliciting his involvement.

[Mia Johnson]

I thought, this sounds cool. This sounds like buy a ticket to a huge vice show. I mean, this. I thought it was cool. I thought that it was a really interesting story, and I thought that I should take advantage of this somehow. Like, I wasn't immediately thinking of the vice story angle, but the longer I thought about what we could do here, I thought it had the potential to be something big.

[Slava Pastuk]

Slava wasn't immediately thinking of the vice story angle, but of course, that's why he told us he was at the meeting in the first place for the story. So which is it? Did he do it for the story or the money?

[Mia Johnson]

I mean, at first, coming into this, I wasn't. I didn't have money. You know, I was in debt from working and living downtown. So my immediate reaction was, that's a lot of money. That's a lot of money. And that would help me alleviate a lot of the problems in my life right now. Now, keep in mind, this is the reaction I had after meeting them. The reason I wanted to meet them was for the vice story, just because I wanted to have an idea of how it was that this worked. Once they explained it to me and they sold it pretty well, I thought, this sounds like easy money. This sounds like a no risk, all reward type of type of scheme. It really did sound too good to be true.

[Slava Pastuk]

Maybe it doesn't matter which motive came first, since Sliva cops to both of them.

[Mia Johnson]

Not only is it a cool vice story, but if I participate in this, I could pay off some of my credit card loans.

[Slava Pastuk]

He says he was offered $20,000 to take the trip with a female friend, all expenses paid. So split in half. If he chose to split it in half, that would be 10k each.

[Mia Johnson]

I don't know. Like, obviously it's $20,000 for something that sounds like it's a foolproof plan. And if there was a chance that I could go and look into it a little bit further, gain the trust of these people, run them as a source. It's a win win. And me and Ali both, I believe, looked at it the same way as, like, this is really interesting.

[Slava Pastuk]

Sorry, can I ask one question? How did you understand this to be foolproof? Like, did they explain how the success?

[Mia Johnson]

So, yeah. So when they were talking about the success, they Talked about it being foolproof if you follow these steps. From what I understand, countries like Australia don't necessarily spend as much money on airport security. I mean, when's the last time you saw a dog at the airport?

[Slava Pastuk]

If Slava had looked into Australian airport security, he would have learned that it's not nearly as lax as he'd been led to believe. In fact, border security is something of a national obsession in Australia. Had Slava simply googled the words border security and Australia, he would have immediately discovered the hit reality show Border Security, Australia's front line. Tonight on Border Security, smugglers insert drug.

[Pope]

Pellets in an unlikely place.

[Slava Pastuk]

The show has been airing since 2004, and many episodes are specifically about drug muling. This would either have discouraged him from smuggling cocaine to Australia or. Or given him plenty of visual research material to prepare him for his journey. Also, if getting cocaine into Australia were easy, it would probably be a lot cheaper to buy cocaine there. But Australia has the second most expensive cocaine in the world. It costs an average of $309 US per gram. In Canada, a gram sells for about 60 bucks US all of this is probably why Australia was the target country for the operation. Not because it's such an easy place for smuggling, but because it's so hard. High risk, high reward. But Slava accepted what he was told, that the operation was foolproof.

[Mia Johnson]

These guys made it seem like they knew everybody at each stage of, like, we have someone in American customs. We have someone in Australian customs. Damn, we have someone flying the plane. Pretty much like, they really say that they have someone at every stage of it. So when they ask you for a picture of your passport and you give it to them, you're thinking that this is going to be provided to all these people at the checkpoints so that my safety will be assured.

[Slava Pastuk]

I need to interject here to describe a problem Slava was facing right there in his telling of the story. You see, one of the main reasons why Slava said he got in touch with us in the first place, breaking years of silence to the media, was was because he wanted everyone to know that he's been misrepresented by the press. He wasn't some predatory drug kingpin exploiting and endangering young drug mules. He was a young drug mule. Before any of the others went to Australia with luggage full of coke, he did that, too. His problem was he couldn't actually say that in a recording without implicating himself in a crime. He had never been charged with the crime. Slava pled Guilty to was conspiracy to traffic cocaine to Australia. That's about the five other people who were caught with cocaine in their luggage on December 22, 2015. So when I first met Slaba and the mic started rolling, this is as much as he was willing to say about smuggling the drugs himself.

[Mia Johnson]

I went to Australia shortly after meeting Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

[Slava Pastuk]

Then here's what he said when pressed on.

[Mia Johnson]

Can we cut this off here? Can we pause it?

[Slava Pastuk]

What he told us right then we agreed to hear off the record. And for a long time, all that Slavo was willing to say was, I.

[Mia Johnson]

Took a trip to Australia, but I didn't take any cocaine with me. I talked my way out of that. Just use that for any. Because it's like you can editorialize it however you want and you can say that you don't believe me. That's my on the record statement.

[Slava Pastuk]

We later pushed back on this too, and told Slava that when he openly lies about any part of this, he makes it hard for people to believe any of it.

[Mia Johnson]

I get. I get what you're saying, but the only thing I'm lying about is omitting the names of certain individuals and the fact that I took cocaine to Australia, which again, I'm only potentially lying about because I don't want to be arrested for that.

[Slava Pastuk]

Here are the details he was comfortable sharing. He was originally going to go with his girlfriend at the time, but he says she pulled out at the last minute. I asked her for an interview so we could go over what was said about her. She declined the interview through a representative who wrote that the relationship was not a positive part of her life. When his girlfriend backed out, Slava had second thoughts himself.

[Mia Johnson]

I told him that I would take a trip to Australia with the person I was seeing at the time. And when that person decided they didn't want to go, I floated the idea that, you know what? Never mind, I can't do this. And then that's when the gravity of the situation kind of presented itself.

[Jake Kivansch]

So.

[Mia Johnson]

It wasn't an option to not go to Australia after you said you wanted to go to Australia.

[Kasia Mihailovic]

My name is Mia Johnson. I'm an alumnus of Canadaland's Audio Journalism Fellowship program. I went to journalism school at tmu. Now I work at the local campus and community station in downtown Toronto on Metropolitan University's campus. I wasn't such a political junkie before going to Canadaland. And now I find so much humor in parliament and in covering council. That is something that I picked up this sort of like contagious excitement from being at Canadaland about just news. As an emerging journalist, as someone that hasn't worked in a newsroom before, I think it was a very safe environment to be able to fail and try again. More than anything, I was able to produce my own project that I pitched to the end, have a byline on it and be able to say that like I did this. I wasn't sitting around doing like intern work. Like I was working on a project that I saw to fruition from beginning to end. Since I published my podcast at Canadaland, I have become a full time journalist reporting on local news. I have produced and sound designed 90 minutes of fictional storytelling for for a humor literary magazine and I've also hosted the election broadcast with the National Community and Campus Radio Association. All of those opportunities, I don't think I would have had the confidence to go after nor the skill set without my experience at Canada Land. And I'm really grateful for that. I just feel so confident. Like I feel so. I like feel I feel so confident as a journalist now. If you're thinking about applying, don't think, just do it. Applications close on June 15th. You can go to labs.canadaland.com to submit your application.

[Fizz Mobile]

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[Josie Santee]

Hey, this is Josie Santee from the Every Girl Podcast and this episode is brought to you by Nordstrom. Summer's here and Nordstrom has everything you need for your best dressed season ever. From beach days and weddings to weekend getaways in your everyday wardrobe. Discover stylish options under a hundred dollars from tons of your favorite Brands like Mango Skims, Princess Polly and Madewell. It's easy too, with free shipping and free returns in store. Order, pickup and more. Shop today in stores [e-mail] or download the Nordstrom app.

[Hannah]

Hi guys. It's Hannah from Giggly Squad with some around the corner. I wanted to tell you guys how I'm staying comfy and stylish. Lululemon is my secret weapon. There are plenty of copycats out there, but nothing compares to the Lululemon fabrics and fit. I've literally had my pair of Lululemon leggings since college and. And I'm out of college. I know I don't look it, but I am. The quality is next level. I especially love the Lululemon Align collection. It's made with this weightless, buttery, soft nulu fabric that feels like next to nothing. It's so soft. Whether you're in aligned pants, shorts, a bra, tank, skirt, a dress, you get non stop flexibility in every direction so you can stretch the summer limits Align even wicks sweat. And as a sweaty girl. I love this. You know it's going to be my best friend when I play tennis this summer. Shop the Align Collect collection [e-mail] or your nearest Lululemon store.

[Slava Pastuk]

Backing out was not an option. Slava says it was Michael Ford, AKA Trey, the guy who'd connected him with this scheme in the first place, who let him know.

[Mia Johnson]

Yeah, well, Trey. Trey reminded me that one time one person tried to back out and they were tied to a chair and there were razor blades put under their fingernails. So that was again, not something that they said they would do to me, but something that they said, hey, just to let you know, previously, people in your situation have faced this result.

[Slava Pastuk]

Sliva got the message. In place of his girlfriend, Sliva recruited a guy named Isaiah Cargill, who goes by Pope or Plug Pope. Later, Slava got Pope on a Vice TV show called Payday.

[Mia Johnson]

Pope does more than promote parties. He manages hip hop artists and is a social media tastemaker. He sells his life as a brand and he covers almost every angle to make money. In all honesty, I'm a hustler.

[Pope]

I go get it.

[Mia Johnson]

I seize opportunities.

[Slava Pastuk]

Slava says Pope had another hustle as well.

[Mia Johnson]

My drug dealer. Yeah, my drug dealer went with me to Australia. We broke all of the norms, right? We weren't a male and female couple who were taking a trip together because we were done in university or whatever story that is. Par for the course now. I was going not only with another guy, but A guy who looked conspicuous.

[Slava Pastuk]

Slava and Pope would have looked extra conspicuous as a duo supposedly vacationing together in Australia instead of the young, straight white couple. The foolproof plan called for Slava and Pope made for an odd pair, with tall, balding Slava looking like he could be 30, and Pope, who is short, slight and black, looking even younger than his 19 years. In fact, later on, when Slava needed to find some teenagers for a Vice video, Pope was one of the kids he used.

[Mia Johnson]

Let's find out what teens think. I'm here with LA and Pope, who you may remember from our ASAP Rocky debate and they're going to tell you about the best things that came out in 2015. 15, definitely Drake.

[Slava Pastuk]

I wasn't able to confirm that Pope sold drugs like Slavis says he did, but again, his handle is Plug Pope. Plug as in source, usually meaning for drugs or hard to find luxury goods, and Pope as in Supreme Pontiff of said drugs or luxury goods. He now works in retail. I've tried to get in touch with him over several months and he's never answered me. When I asked Slava for the details about exactly how he and Pope received the drugs in Vegas and then handed them off in Sydney, he answered in.

[Mia Johnson]

The hypothetical, what would happen is that you would show up in Vegas to your preordained hotel, get a burner cell phone, and you would meet a gentleman in the parking lot. From what I understand, it was a member of the cartel who would take your empty luggage, give you a new set of empty luggage, and drive away.

[Slava Pastuk]

During the time Slava says they were on the trip, Pope did post photos of himself in Las Vegas and Sydney. One from November 25th had Pope in shorts on a balcony overlooking a harbor. It's a beautifully sunny, cloudless day with sailboats all lined up in the water, framed by a forested island behind it. Plug Pope's caption reads, sip, sip Sydney. Got that perp in my kidney.

[Mia Johnson]

My trip was incredibly short. I was in Australia for three days. My jet lag didn't even catch up to me.

[Slava Pastuk]

Slava and Pope returned to Toronto on November 27, 2015.

[Mia Johnson]

Once I was back, though, I was on cloud nine, you know, because I had put this behind me and I was actually really happy because I was one step closer to my eventual goal of wanting this to be a story.

[Slava Pastuk]

But Slava didn't pitch this to Vice as a story. As far as Vice knew, his absence was due to a death in the family. He wasn't good at maintaining the lie, though, because he says he was just too giddy to talk about how he had just gotten away with something huge.

[Mia Johnson]

People got hip to the trip because I couldn't contain the fact that I was so happy that I had gotten back. And, you know, I was just like, you never believe what I just did. You know how I told you my grandpa died and I was in Ukraine? Guess where I really was? So I told people about it.

[Slava Pastuk]

And this is crucial to Slava's version, the version he wants you to hear. He wasn't soliciting vulnerable kids to smuggle drugs for his benefit. He was just bragging about how he smuggled drugs. He told all kinds of people. One of those people was Jake. That's next.

[Jake Kivansch]

So, funny enough, Slava was somebody that I kind of connected with immediately when I joined Vice.

[Slava Pastuk]

You met Jake Kavansh. Earlier in the summer of 2015, he stopped going home to his parents in Scarborough because they weren't getting along. He tried to break into journalism by freelancing and full disclosure. During this summer, he wrote a story about crime reporting for Canadaland, the company I work for.

[Jake Kivansch]

I started at Ryerson University as a journalism student, and then during the summer, I was kind of, like, couch hopping, and I was collecting a lot of stories downtown Toronto, but I didn't really know a place to publish them. And a friend of mine was actually working at Vice at the time. She kind of helped me link up with an editor there. My dream at that time was like to work at Vice.

[Slava Pastuk]

And then it came true. Jake remembered first encountering Slava right before his internship started. Jake had a scoop.

[Jake Kivansch]

Ryerson was having a Frosh concert, and I had found out through one way or another that Drake was the surprise guest. And it was like, a secret. So I sent Slava an email because I knew his editor. Noisy. I'm like, hey, I have this scoop. Drake and Future can perform at Ryerson. I can get you exclusive photos by tomorrow morning or whatever. And he's like, yeah, totally. That sounds sick. Like, boom.

[Slava Pastuk]

Here's Future at that show performing Move that Dope.

[Mia Johnson]

Where the real Toronto at right now?

[Jake Kivansch]

Make some noise, man. Make some noise.

[Mia Johnson]

Hands up and we'll pop it.

[Jake Kivansch]

The student right now. When I started Advice, I met Slava there, and I was like, hey, I'm that dude. And he's like, oh, true. What's up? Like, crazy. Nice to meet you. Blah, blah, blah. And he sort of, like, took me under his wing for a little bit.

[Slava Pastuk]

Jake says that at first he considered Slava a friend.

[Jake Kivansch]

I mean, we're both white guys interested in hip hop, and he's kind of like, had become a staple in the city for that. Right? So I think he also saw that I might be able to, like, navigate in the scene, which is, like, important because the one thing I'll say about Slava is that he was effective at making friends with artists in the city and made them feel comfortable. A lot of journalists come off to artists as, like, cops almost. So Slava was able to earn the trust of people, and I think that he was able to see that I could also move in the same way as him. Like, I could interact with artists. So he just took me out to some events and, like, introduced me to some people. I definitely felt like I had, like, a mentor in him. I definitely felt like he's someone I could look up to.

[Slava Pastuk]

Getting in with Slava was a lucky break for a kid like Jake. Slava could open doors at Vice and elsewhere. They started hanging out as winter set in. Jake's contract was winding down. Every internship is like a countdown. A three month internship is three months to convince them to keep you on.

[Jake Kivansch]

I got really sucked into the culture there and, like, the whole energy of it, you know, very exciting. And that's sort of what they kind of like wrap everybody in with, is that you don't want to leave Vice because it's such, like, this alluring brand. You know, you're like, it's too cool. You're never gonna go anywhere as cool, you know, and they, like, dangle opportunities over you. But most of the time I was there, I just got paid the same rate I would have got paid for working as a barista.

[Slava Pastuk]

That's where Jake was at.

[Jake Kivansch]

When Slava reached out, Honestly, it was very sudden. Slava had, like, texted me, I think, or might have slacked me, I forget which. But he basically asked when my internship was ending. And I told him, I don't. I don't know. He said, oh, I might have some work for you after you're done. I said, whoa, that's awesome. Like, you know, I thought maybe I'd go in the US Take some photos from Noisy, whatever. That sounds amazing. He's like, next time we're in, let's get coffee. I was like, cool. So next time I was in, I slacked him. Around noon, I was like, let's get some coffee. He's like, cool, you're walking. Turn the corner. There's this coffee shop. That's where I thought we were going. And kind of as I went to turn in, there, he's like, no, no, let's keep going. Let's keep going. It's like, okay, so we keep walking. And then as we got to the next corner, he kind of. He kind of asked me first if I had traveled to Australia, and then he asked me to shut my phone off. So I did. He was very vague with it. At first. I had to, like, press him, but he's like, so, you know, it's super chill, but basically what you do is you. He asked if I had a girlfriend. I said, no, I don't. He said, I need to find, like, someone who could preferably would be white, the same height as me, someone who's not suspicious. He said that I would need to travel. I would travel to Las Vegas for a week, and then I would travel to Australia for a week. I'd travel back to Canada, and all I had to do was bring a suitcase. And then when I got back to Canada, they paid me 10,000 Canadian. And then he was like, you can choose to tell the girl you're with or not. You guys can split the money or you can keep it for yourself. Doesn't matter.

[Slava Pastuk]

You'll remember that when Slava took the trip, he said that there had been $20,000 to split for Jake. It was just 10 by the time.

[Jake Kivansch]

We were, like, halfway, because we're doing, like, basically a full loop around the block. And at this point, I'm like, holy fuck. As soon as he started telling me this, I just had the worst feeling inside of me because I genuinely thought, like, he had an opportunity for me, like, journalism. And here he's like, basically saying, yo, do you want to traffic drugs? We got back to the office, he was just kind of like, you down? And I didn't know what else to say. So I was like, oh, yeah, Like, I'm interested. He said, cool. Like, by the end of the week, send me a scan of your passport. This girl's passport. And so I got back, and I was like, the whole day, I didn't know what the fuck think. I left the office early. I wanted to tell my editors, but I didn't know. I, I. I was. I was worried that, like, I was going to, like, get, like, fired or something for, like, snitching. And. And also, I just. I was just like. I didn't want to piss off Slav. I didn't. I didn't know what to do, so I just didn't say anything.

[Mia Johnson]

Similar to the walk that Ben took me on when he asked me for a gun. I took Jake on The same path. And I go, you know, I found out about this cool thing and explained how it worked to him. So, J. Jake got a pretty good understanding of how it worked, and he had expressed interest in going on the trip himself.

[Slava Pastuk]

We asked Jake, did you ever really consider going on the trip?

[Jake Kivansch]

Yeah. That's the thing that bothers me the most. That's the thing that stuck with me, is I almost did it. I didn't, like, almost do it. You know, There was a big part of me that was like, this is stupid and highly risky, but I was broke. And that's the thing that fucked everything up for me, was it made me realize that there's an environment where you have tons of people who are not financially sound and not maybe not smart enough to know that there's other ways of getting out of things. I trusted this guy. And he. You know, there was a part of me that was like, just to avoid the embarrassment and avoid everything, maybe I'll just do it. Maybe I couldn't separate my identity there because I felt, like, almost wrong. Like, I was like, oh, this is like Vice. Like, why am I being, like, a snitch about this? Like, why am I, like, getting upset about this? You know, I didn't want to disappoint him. And I felt like, again, I was just sort of like, yeah, I was looking for tons of people's approval advice, but I just didn't want to. I didn't want to be this young person in the company causing a shitstorm within the first few months there. And I didn't want to be the person to appear, like, not up to the job in front of Slava, even though that's not my job. You know, trafficking drugs is not in my qualifications, but still hard to turn down because it was presented to me in a way that I wasn't prepared for. It was presented to me in a way where it's like, oh, we're going for a walk. Talk about work. It's like, doesn't matter what kind of work, I guess. But it came from the perspective being like, I have some work for you. I'm your superior, et cetera, directed at me. Slava gave me the complete lowdown of this plan and was trying to make me feel as comfortable as possible in order to agree to do this, and gave me a very small time frame to think about it. If that's not pressuring or propositioning, I don't know. I don't know what it is.

[Slava Pastuk]

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[Hannah]

Hi guys, it's Hannah from Giggly Squad with some around the corner. I wanted to tell you guys how I'm staying comfy and stick stylish. Lululemon is my secret weapon. There are plenty of copycats out there, but nothing compares to the Lululemon fabrics and fit. I've literally had my pair of Lululemon leggings since college and I'm out of college. I know I don't look it, but I am. The quality is next level. I especially love the Lululemon Align collection. It's made with this weightless, buttery, soft nulu fabric that feels like next to nothing. It's so soft, whether you're in align pants, shorts, a bra, tank, skirt, a dress, you get non stop in every direction so you can stretch the summer limits align even wick sweat and as a sweaty girl. I love this. You know it's going to be my best friend when I play tennis this summer. Shop the Aligned collection [e-mail] or your nearest Lululemon store.

[Slava Pastuk]

When Jake talked about the pressure he felt at the time to not disappoint Slava, he also talked about the pressure he felt not to cause trouble advice by snitching.

[Jake Kivansch]

That's the thing. It's like the professional lines advice weren't clear. That's the thing. It's just, it's so ambiguous when you work there. Everything's so ambiguous. Like there's no, there's no ethics or guidelines for yourself, really. And so there's no ethics and guidelines for other people. So you're constantly sort of questioning like, is this okay?

[Slava Pastuk]

Is this okay advice. When this all happened, being okay with stuff was actually a matter of policy. Jake and everyone else at Vice had to sign a non traditional workplace agreement. This contract said that Vice promotes an environment of free speech. And when you signed it, you acknowledged that you were conscious of Vice's non traditional environment and comfortable with exposure to and participation in situations that may present themselves during the course of employment. It continued, I agree to hold Vice harmless from any and all claims I may have based upon Vice's workplace environment. Vice stopped using that contract in 2017 after allegations that it was used to silence, justify, and cover for sexual harassment in the workplace. Today, Jake sees that he dodged a bullet. He's realized that Slava was not a friend, but a guy who tried to exploit him. In the days after Slava's proposition, Jake didn't send him a copy of his passport. But he also didn't snitch like he said. He thought he could get fired for not being cool about it, and Slava seemed friendly with the guys at the top. For all Jake knew, the whole office could have been aware of Slava's side hustle and cool with it. Maybe some were even in on it, but he couldn't be sure.

[Jake Kivansch]

When. When you build a place that is basically they pay you in coolness, you know, and you stay there because of coolness, you start being worried about how that currency might leave you, right? So if you get called out as a snitch in the company, your. Your value there has just dropped exponentially.

[Slava Pastuk]

So he said nothing. Carrying Saiva's secret felt really lonely. But then, three or four days later, Jake was out at the Beaver, a bar on Queen west, with some Vice coworkers just a few blocks from the office. It was drinks for a colleague, a staff writer named Tyneira Yelland, who'd just been fired that day.

[Jake Kivansch]

And while I was there, I got, like, a little bit drunk, and I was with some people, and I said, would you guys ever traffic drugs for $10,000? Instantly, three people looked towards me and said, slava.

[Pope]

When he brought it up, I was like, oh, I know what you're talking about. Slava is the person you're talking about, and you're talking about the exact same thing that was proposed to me.

[Slava Pastuk]

That's Tanara Yelland. She worked at Vice for a year. And once again, full disclosure. She was once a Canadaland intern and contributor. She's a freelancer now and a graduate student at York University. At the time she was fired, she was trying to organize a union at Vice.

[Pope]

Slava sent me a message on Slack asking if I wanted to get a coffee. And when we went out for a walk to the coffee shop, he brought up this opportunity sort of as a hypothetical at first, I think. Then very quickly, he was like, no, this is a real thing. It's really happening. And would you like to do it? And, yeah, like, he was really bringing it up to me, offering it to me, encouraging me to do it, Offering sort of reassurances, I think would be the best way to say it, like, in terms of talking about the lining in the suitcase and how he said he'd done it and it was fine, and there's really no risk to it, and you get paid so much money. So he was, like, selling me on it and definitely asking me. Me to do it. Very shortly. It just. It sounded like something out of a movie. Like, I've seen the movie Blow with Johnny Depp, and it reminded me of that movie. And, I mean, I know that movie is based on a real story, but I don't live in a movie. So it just seemed very bizarre that this was being proposed to me. But it also sounded extremely legitimate, the way that he was presenting it, his demeanor when he was talking about it, like, the details that he was giving.

[Slava Pastuk]

When she got home that day, Tyneira told her roommate about her conversation with.

[Pope]

Slava, and he was like, oh, that's wild. And then pretty much as soon as, like, saying it out loud to another person, I was like, yeah, I can't. I can't do this for 5 million different reasons. So I stopped, think sometime in the next couple days. I either said or messaged to Slavo, like, thanks, but I think I'm good. And I don't think it really makes sense for me to do that right now. I might have used the excuse that it was coming up too soon just because I didn't necessarily want to be liked. Thanks for inviting me into your criminal conspiracy, but I'm not interested.

[Slava Pastuk]

Why didn't you want to be like that?

[Pope]

That's a good question. I guess I wouldn't have wanted to make things awkward, which is a very weird impulse to have in that scenario, but I think that probably was what it was.

[Slava Pastuk]

Did that ever cross your mind to be like, that's something you should report to your boss?

[Pope]

I just don't really want to, I guess, make trouble for people at work or something, or in general. And then the other part of it is probably also that, like, there is such a weird, permissive work culture there, or was when I was there, around drug use and stuff. I don't know if it was sanctioned by management, really, but I think it was just sort of a snowball effect of, like, early vice's reputation still being somewhat intact. And then people sort of feeling like they had a certain amount of license because of that. Co workers hanging out after work and doing drugs, which people at other workplaces do also, of course. But I think there was a certain sense that it was slightly more acceptable. So I think that just contributed to the fact that I didn't think to Bring it up, because it seemed like something that would happen while you work there, or, like, if this is going to happen at any workplace, this would be the workplace where it would happen.

[Slava Pastuk]

Tynera hoped that after she politely declined, Slava would just drop it, but he didn't. On the day that she was fired, while she was out at the Beaver for a sympathetic drink with Jake and some other friends, Slava reached out again.

[Pope]

It was while we were there that I got a text from Slava, basically saying, like, I heard that you're not working at Vice anymore. If you need some money, the offer is still good, let me know.

[Slava Pastuk]

He re upped his offer.

[Pope]

Yeah. In light of my immediate economic precarity. And it just, like, really irked me because it was very clearly not actually about trying to extend a helping hand. It was really just that he saw an opportunity to get me to do this thing is how it felt to me.

[Slava Pastuk]

So, yeah, Tyneira knew exactly what Jake was talking about when he asked that question to a table of Vice employees.

[Jake Kivansch]

And we realized that moment that different people had at the table been approached, but not all of us. So all the white people that pretty much at the table were approached and all the young people. It was at that moment that I was kind of like, I felt better because I was like, holy shit. I haven't been shouldering this entire thing by myself. I thought maybe he'd just come for me.

[Slava Pastuk]

In that moment, Jake felt better. And then Jake got mad.

[Jake Kivansch]

He didn't approach people who had strong, like, characters. He didn't approach people who were, like, very, like, sure of themselves. He approached people who were unsure and who might need the money. It was, like, so apparently clear from the people he approached advice that they were people who were young or, like, financially disadvantaged. 100%. You know, I don't really have anything against the sale of drugs or even particularly the trafficking of drugs. It's just not morally something I feel like a way about, but the way that he propositioned me and propositioned other people and the sort of that, to me is, like, predatory. There's people who now have suffered, who've lost all the time that I've had since. To think about it, they've just sat in a jail.

[Slava Pastuk]

Next time on Cool Mules. Slava recruits others to follow in his footsteps and smuggle drugs to Australia under threat of violence.

[Pope]

Now, if somebody puts a gun to.

[Jake Kivansch]

Your head and says, if you don't take this to fucking Sydney, I'm gonna fucking kill your family, you're taking it to Sydney.

[Slava Pastuk]

Cool Mules is hosted and reported by me, Kasia Mihailovic and is written and produced by me and Jesse Brown. Research from Jonathan Goldsby. Kevin Sexton is our Managing Editor. Music by Nathan Burley Sound design and mix by Chandra Bulacan. The next episode of Cool Mules will be out next week or you can listen to our entire six episode series right now ad free and support support our journalism for $5 a month. Just click the link in the show notes or visit coolmules ca join and the whole show will be on your phone or computer in minutes.

[Josie Santee]

Hey, this is Josie Santee from the Every Girl podcast and this episode is brought to you by Nordstrom. Summer's here and Nordstrom has everything you need for your best dressed season ever. From beach days and weddings to weekend getaways in your everyday wardrobe. Discover stylish options under a hundred dollars from tons of your favorite brands like Mango Skims, Princess Polly and Madewell. It's easy too, with free shipping and free returns in store. Order pickup and more. Shop today in stores [e-mail] or download.

[Hannah]

The Nordstrom app Hi guys, it's Hannah from Giggly Squad with some around the corner. I wanted to tell you guys how I'm staying comfy and stylish. Lululemon is my secret weapon. There are plenty of copycats out there, but nothing compares to the Lululemon fabrics and fit. I've literally had my pair of Lululemon leggings since college and and I'm out of college. I know I don't look it, but I am. The quality is next level. I especially love the Lululemon Align collection. It's made with this weightless, buttery, soft nulou fabric that feels like next to nothing. It's so soft. Whether you're in aligned pants, shorts, a bra, tank, skirt, a dress, you get non stop flexibility in every direction so you can stretch the summer limits align. Even wicks sweat and as a sweaty girl I love this. You know it's going to be my best friend when I play tennis this summer. Shop the Aligned collection [e-mail] or your nearest Lululemon store.