nt

 

 

January 7, 2007

Intercontinental Drug Ring Exposed

By Garth McLennan, News Editor

Nae police have arrested Yong
Long Ye, a 40-year old man believed
to be the head of an international drug
cartel involved in the manufacturing and
trafficking of cocaine, heroine, crystal
meth, marijuana, ecstasy and many more
types.

The arrest came after a raid
on Ye’s million dollar home, which
police say doubled as his drug cartel’s
headquarters on Deering Island, one of
nine raids they have made in connection
with the operation. So far, around 100
people globally have been arrested in
accordance with the $168 million drug
enterprise that is involved in eight
countries on three continents. 17 of the
arrestees reside in or are from the Lower
Mainland. Throughout the investigation,
nicknamed Operation Paragon, the
suspects spoke six languages, English,
Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Hindi
and Vietnamese. Police intercepted over
200,000 telephone calls between the
suspects.

Ye, who was first brought
to police attention in 2003 after he
was charged with two counts each
of extortion and trafficking, faces 16
charges of conspiracy, trafficking, and

 

money laundering. It is believed that
Ye funded his lucrative drug operation
through the Vancouver real estate market,
which has been red-hot for months. Ye’s
six luxury properties are worth in excess
of $6 million. According to authorities,
Ye would purchase the homes, make
renovations on the properties, and then
take out numerous, and quite large,
mortgages on them. The money he
received from the mortgages would
finance his international drug business.

From the six properties that
were seized, police discovered a number
of illegal vehicles, guns, cash, and
weapons. The police raids from all eight
nations (Canada, US, Japan, Australia,
New Zealand, Taiwan, China and India)
yielded 640 kilograms of cocaine, 111
kilos of various methamphetamines, 83
kilograms worth of ecstasy, 26 units of
heroin, an incredible 7,832 pounds of
marijuana, 1,202 kilograms of ephedrine
approximately $2.1 million in cash, 17
illegally owned guns, and $300,000
worth of luxury high-end cars.

Police are saying that busting
the drug ring they believe is under the
leadership of Ye is the biggest of it’s kind
in the history of British Columbia.

“We’ve chopped the head off

the snake. We’ve gone right to the top
of this one,” said Vancouver police
Dean Robinson. “This will have a huge
impact on the drug trade in the Lower
Mainland.”

The drug venture produced and
shipped tens of millions of dollars and
tons of drugs around the globe through
several highly sophisticated and subtle
systems. Most of the cartel’s operations
were carried out simultaneously and in
accordance with one another. At first
glance, the cartel’s operations appear
unconnected. They brought cocaine
from Los Angeles to Toronto by truck.
They shipped methamphetamine from
Vancouver to Australia. Heroin was
transported to various spots in Canada
from Pakistan and India. Ye, who is
believed to have controlled 38 bank
accounts across Asia to operate the drug
cartel, allegedly paid for all of this.

However, it is believed that one
of the cartel’s associates has a connection
in the trucking industry, which he used
to ship the cocaine from LA to Toronto.
The drugs were sent to Toronto in false-
bottom boxes loaded into shipping
containers on the trucks. This is how
the cartel was originally brought to
police attention. After the drugs were
discovered, the BC Integrated Gang
Task Force was alerted, and they began
the arduous process of bringing down
the criminal empire.

The money made from that
was then carried to British Columbia by
couriers, where it was used to produce
crystal meth and marijuana. The weed
was sold locally, and the meth was
shipped out to primarily Australia and
New Zealand, however, all of the drugs
are believed to have been distributed
throughout the Pacific Rim. Due to the
lack of meth production in the land down
under, it was sold for triple the price it
would have got here. Minh Tan Le has
been apprehended in connection with the
meth sales. It is believed that the meth
was sent to Australia and New Zealand
in the linings of cardboard boxes and
suitcases. Le’s father is alleged to
have been the recipient of the meth in
Australia, where he lives, and he would
then further distribute the product.

According to the investigation,
after the meth was sold in Australia and
New Zealand, the profits were deposited
in the 38 Asian bank accounts. After
the money was hidden and distributed

around Asia, it was transferred secretly
back to Canada, it got there without the
trouble of following international money
export restrictions and regulations.

The couriers who are alleged to
have transported the drug money from
Toronto to Vancouver have been said to
have come via commercial air travel. The
money shipments have been monitored
since July 6, 2007, and at the time of Ye’s
arrest, totaled $4.6 million. The couriers
are believed to have smuggled $250,000
per trip.

The cartel is also charged with
supplying Vancouver and _ Lower
Mainland area meth and ecstasy labs
with essential chemicals.

“The criminal element should
take note the police aren’t confined
to borders,” said Marianne Ryan, a
member of the Canadian Forces Special
Enforcement Unit.

The investigation into the
cartel’s affairs, which began in October
of 2006 and lasted 14 months, and was
a massive undertaking that required the
services of over 200 law enforcement
officers from the RCMP, the Organized
Crime Agency of British Columbia,
and 10 police forces from smaller
municipalities. The Canadian police
forces involved in the investigation were
aided by a number of law enforcement
agencies from Australia, New Zealand,
India, Taiwan, Japan, and China.

Vancouver police were thrilled
with the massive seizure, and Dean
Robinson of the Vancouver Police
department believes that the results
of the investigation will have a very
positive result.

“Gangsters and drug traffickers
don’t respect borders; neither do the
police, we know this will have a large
impact on the drug trade in the Lower
Mainland,” said Robinson.

“There is a direct link between
organized crime, the narcotics smuggling,
a huge amount of marijuana coming out
of British Columbia and the violence on
our streets.” Said John Robin of the BC
Integrated Gang Task Force.

Inspector Pat Fogarty was the
leading man from the Gang Task Force,
as well as the Combined Forces Special
Enforcement Unit’s investigation. He
said that the lengthy investigation took
them “from the violence of the streets
right up to the boardroom of the drug
trade.”

 

Welcome

Dear Students,

Welcome back to another fun filled
semester at Douglas College. We’ ve
introduced a new system this year.
Instead of having students post used
book ads around the school, the
Douglas Students’ Union has gone
hi-tech and has created an online
Bookswap. To check it out, head to
http://www.cfslocal18.ca and then click
“Bookswap.” Other school items can
also be posted so it’s definitely worth a
look.

Our annual Pancake Breakfast is also

Back From the Student Union

coming up quickly on January 15th.

It’s free and definitely worth your

time so come before or after class or

on your break. There will be mounds

of pancakes complete with the usual
whipping cream, fruit, syrup, and drinks
that Douglas students have become
accustomed to.

Clubs Day is also worth checking out as
it features all the clubs that can be found
on Campus. Come by the Concourse

on January 10" to see which clubs you
might be interested in.

Don’t forget that this semester is also
the time of the ever interesting and

entertaining Douglas Students’ Union
elections. To find out more about the
elections just come by the Douglas
Students’ Union building (Take the
exit by security and take your first
left; or take the exit by the theatre

on the fourth floor and go across to
the other building) and speak with
one of our representatives. Students
attending David Lam can also drop
by the Douglas Students’ Union office
across from Student Services. To keep
informed about the current board, keep
reading the Other Press.

I will also take this opportunity to

announce my resignation from the
Representative Committee of the
Douglas Students’ Union. I wish
students the best of luck as they head
to the polls this semester. Personally,
I recommend checking out the All
Candidates Forums held at both
campuses because not only does it
keep you informed, it can also be very
entertaining. Remember to stay sane
this semester and not overdo it.

Sincerely yours,

Wendy Case

Aboriginal Liaison,
Douglas Students’ Union