| Presto | 01-28-2011 02:16 PM |
Two Groups Terrorizing DTES busted
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Vancouver police have dismantled two groups that preyed on the drug-riddled Downtown Eastside through violence, torture and terror – and police say some of the arrested face the rare charge of committing an offence for a criminal organization.
The force announced the arrests of eight people during a news conference at city hall Thursday morning. Bags of seized cash, drugs and handguns sat on a nearby table as police detailed the alleged crimes.
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Some of the arrested, police said, beat and stabbed Downtown Eastside residents who had refused to sell drugs on the street. Those who resisted could also be locked up in cages.
“I’m very pleased to tell you today that the streets of the Downtown Eastside have just gotten a little safer. We have arrested a number of these predators and more arrests are on the way,” Deputy Chief Warren Lemcke told reporters.
It’s the first time in the force’s history an investigation has led to criminal organization charges and just the second time ever in B.C., said Vancouver police spokesman Constable Lindsey Houghton. “It’s an extremely rare charge. The threshold is one of the highest in the Criminal Code,” he said.
For the Crown to lay such a charge, he said, officers must provide direct links “of a business level of organization by a group of people for a common purpose.” Police must detail the structure and communication methods of those in the organization, evidence that can’t be at all tenuous.
“This one was a bit of a huge onion,” Constable Houghton said. “It just kept going and going,”
The arrests came after two separate investigations – the first, called Project Tyrant, led to three arrests, while Project Rescue generated five.
As Project Rescue unfolded, police said, it became clear the group involved was a sophisticated criminal operation tied to organized crime in B.C. and abroad. Police accused the group of operating a lucrative drug-trafficking business.
Three of the five men were charged with trafficking in a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization, while two others were charged with instructing commission of an offence for a criminal organization. The five also face various drug or weapons charges.
The five men charged in Project Rescue are Nolan Swallow, Lemar McCann, Anthony Staniforth, Ellwood Bradbury and Pablo (Carlos) Diaz-Alvarado.
The three people charged in Project Tyrant are Petros Soiles, and married couple Ngoc Le and Zhen Liu. Police said the three were involved in activity consistent with money laundering.
When asked if the criminal groups went by certain names, police said the smart groups don’t make the mistake of branding themselves.
Deputy Chief Lemcke called those who were arrested “predatory drug dealers.”
“He is not addicted to drugs, he doesn’t live in poverty and he doesn’t care about the community. He cruises into the Downtown Eastside in high-end vehicles and preys on the most vulnerable of its residents.”
Both projects were under the umbrella of Sister Watch, a program in partnership with the Downtown Eastside to end violence against women. More charges against the accused are expected, as are several more arrests.
Police said they would not lay charges against the street-level dealers linked to the groups.
“The people that were actually doing the dealing, making money, making a drug transaction every two minutes for these guys, were actually victims themselves,” Inspector Mike Porteous said.
Police at the news conference were joined by Mona Woodward, who represented the Sister Watch / Women’s Memorial March group that’s been working with Vancouver police. Ms. Woodward said she’s hopeful about the progress that’s been made in the Downtown Eastside.
“These marginalized people that are being targeted and victimized, [that] is being stopped and it can only happen by continuing to bring attention to the issue,” she said.
Ms. Woodward urged anyone who may have been victimized by the eight accused to come forward. She said community victim-impact statements will be written up to try to ensure that those behind bars don’t get out on bail.
| Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1885280/ |
