Ex-UN gangster says he read smuggled Crown documents

A former United Nations gangster says he had systems in place to smuggle items in and out of Surrey pre-trial for fellow UN members awaiting trial.

The man, who can only be identified as C due to a publication ban, testified at the murder trial of Cory Vallee that he and others in the gang used a corrupt guard to get items in and out of the jail.

C said he would also prepare packages full of contraband and make them look like they came from a lawyer’s office so they couldn’t be inspected.

One item smuggled out was a USB drive with the Crown’s evidence against gang members and associates charged in 2009 with conspiracy to kill the Bacons, he said.

C said the guard gave the USB stick to UN gangster Troy Tran and Tran passed it to him — probably in 2011. He said he was eager to see if there was evidence against him in the Crown disclosure that might result in him being charged in the Bacon conspiracy.

He has already admitted to B.C. Supreme Court Justice Janice Dillon that he was in a truck with Barzan Tilli-Choli and two others in the UN when Tilli-Choli opened fire on a Porsche belonging to the Bacon brothers on May 9, 2008.

Stereo installer Jonathan Barber was killed.

Vallee is charged with conspiracy to kill the Bacons, as well as first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of their pal Kevin LeClair.

C told prosecutor Helen James he spent about a week going through the USB before giving the drive back to Tran, who has been charged in the conspiracy.

C said he once met the corrupt guard, but didn’t know his name.

“I had to go give something to the guard to bring in to Michael Newman,” he said, in reference to a UN member now convicted of first-degree murder.

C described the guard as a “Filipino” man of about average height.

A correctional officer named Sedrick Dang was charged in 2012 with breach of trust and accepting a bribe for smuggling contraband to UN members in the jail. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2013 to four years in jail.

In the smuggled documents, C said he read statements to police from another former UN member who can only be called D, who agreed to testify against the gang.

C said he then hired some Russian hitmen to kill D, but they couldn’t complete the mission.

He also made contact with some members of the Rock Machine biker gang in 2011 to see if they could help kill D, he testified.

“Cory actually gave me a number to get a hold of,” C said.

The bikers also failed, he said. D was on the stand at the Vallee trial for almost three weeks.

Vallee defence lawyer Mike Tammen began his cross-examination of C Thursday.

He suggested the witness never knew Vallee by the nickname “Frankie” despite the fact he testified gang leader Clay Roueche introduced Vallee to him as Frankie.

The trial continues.