Winnipeg police charge two B.C. men in drug investigation
Province now trying to strip pair of real estate, vehicles under criminal forfeiture legislation after cocaine, meth and cash found
Two B.C. men — one convicted in a high-profile 1982 slaying and the other as an Independent Soldier gangster — have been charged in a major Winnipeg police investigation into a drug trafficking organization.
Allan Ronald Rodney, 70, was convicted of manslaughter in the 1982 death of Sharon Bollivar, the wife of a supermarket manager kidnapped for ransom in Kitsilano and later shot to death. Mohammad Shakil Khan, 39, is an IS member who joined the Wolfpack gang alliance after it formed in 2010.
Both are behind bars in Manitoba after getting arrested there last month, along with Rodney’s Surrey housemate, Shontal Vaupotic, and several people from Alberta and Manitoba.
Winnipeg Police allege that Khan, a Vancouver resident, headed a criminal organization that was moving millions of dollars of drugs from B.C. to Manitoba and that Rodney was one of the gang’s drivers.
The B.C. government now wants to seize some of Khan’s and Rodney’s assets as proceeds of their criminal activities.
The director of civil forfeiture filed a suit in B.C. Supreme Court last week, seeking Rodney’s interest in his Surrey house, as well a semi trailer and several other high-end vehicles. The director also wants Khan’s 2007 Mercedes forfeited.
The suit alleges that neither man had “sufficient legitimate income to have acquired or maintained” the house or vehicles subject of the seizure application.
The director lays out some details of the Winnipeg case.
“The investigation revealed that Mr. Khan was shipping kilograms of cocaine and ketamine from British Columbia for distribution in the Winnipeg area and Mr. Rodney and Ms. Vaupotic were transporting the shipments in a semi-truck,” the director’s statement of claim said.
Rodney and Vaupotic met with others now charged at least 18 times between February and October 2018 to exchange drugs for cash, according to the suit. The drugs were then transported to stash houses to be repackaged and distributed.
“During the investigation, members of the (Winnipeg Police Service) covertly entered the stash locations on various dates and located large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, marijuana, oxycodone, ketamine, heroin, cutting agents and cash,” the court documents said.
On Oct. 18, police watched as Khan, Rodney, Vaupotic and a Winnipeg man “conducted an exchange of money and controlled substances."
“Shortly thereafter, Mr. Rodney was arrested at the Flying J truck stop in Headingly, Man. At the time of Mr. Rodney’s arrest, he was in possession of approximately $100,000 in Canadian currency and one kilogram of cocaine.” Khan was arrested at a Winnipeg A&W with about $1,000 cash.
Police conducted searches with warrants in B.C., Alberta and Manitoba. At a Winnipeg house owned by Khan, they found 6.5 kilos of cocaine, about $100,000 and a semi-automatic handgun and ammunition.
At Khan’s east Vancouver house, police found another $100,000, a money counter and score sheets.
At Rodney’s Surrey home in the 19300-block of 73A Avenue, police also found $100,000 cash, the director said.