Red Scorpion gangster pleads guilty to drug trafficking charges

A man arrested two years ago after a multi-agency project targeting the Red Scorpion gang pleaded guilty to two trafficking charges in B.C. Supreme Court Thursday.

Anduele Pikientio, 24, was charged in August 2018 along with Kyle Latimer, his dad Craig Latimer, Csongor Szucs and Jacob Pereira as part of Project Territory, headed by Vancouver police and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. At the time, police described Pikientio as a member of the notorious gang.

He appeared via video before Justice Kathleen Ker on Thursday and told her he was voluntarily entering guilty pleas to two counts stemming from the Territory investigation.

His lawyer Joseph Saulnier laid out some of the facts of the case.

“In approximately March to May 2018, police got two warrants for an apartment in Richmond and went in twice,” Saulnier said. “They found amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin and there were indications that Mr. Pikientio had constructive possession.” During the same period, on April 23, 2018 in Merritt, “Mr. Pikientio was stopped by police while driving and in the vehicle police found fentanyl and/or methamphetamine,” Saulnier said.

Ker asked Pikientio questions about his decision to plead guilty.

“In entering your guilty plea today, you are doing so without any pressure or coercion. Is that correct?” she asked.

“That’s correct,” he replied. “You’re making the guilty pleas to the counts on the indictment voluntarily and by voluntarily it’s your own free will and choice.”

Again, he replied: “Yes, that is correct.”

Only two spectators were allowed into Courtroom 63 due to social distancing measures.

Crown prosecutor Maggie Loda told Ker that earlier this week Pikientio also pleaded guilty in New Westminster Supreme Court to several drug charges stemming from a Delta police investigation called Project Green Planet.

Pikientio will be sentenced on all his charges in New Westminster on Aug. 7.

Police have said Territory led to the seizure of 93 firearms, a pressure cooker bomb, about 50 kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs, $833,000 in cash, jewelry worth $800,000 and collector cars valued at another $350,000. A total of 92 criminal charges were laid.

Pikientio’s co-accused are set to go to trial in the fall of 2021.