Province seeks cash, $120,000 in gold bars

A summer 2020 police investigation in Langley led to the seizure of cash and gold valued at nearly $120,000 allegedly linked to drug trafficking.

In a claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Jan. 18, the B.C. Forfeiture Office seeks to have the cash and gold forfeited as proceeds of crime.

Following an investigation in July 2020, Langley RCMP seized 67,370 in European Union currency, $6,554.70 in Canadian currency, $130 in U.S. currency and two one-ounce gold bars.

“The money and gold bars are proceeds and instruments of unlawful activity,” said the forfeiture claim.

Named in the suit is North Vancouver-resident Ljubomir Janjanin.

The accusations include selling, promoting, supplying, producing and possession of illicit cannabis contrary to the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act.

Also on the list is a failure to declare taxable income.

Janjanin has not responded in court to the allegations — and has not been charged criminally in relation to the accusations outlined in the forfeiture suit, according to a search of B.C. online court records.

Civil forfeiture actions can be launched without criminal charges being laid.

The threshold for proving a civil forfeiture claim is lower than for a criminal conviction, a balance of probabilities instead of beyond-a-reasonable-doubt.

According to the forfeiture suit, the RCMP began a drug trafficking investigation in Langley in July 2020.

During the investigation the RCMP determined that Janjanin was associated with a home on 243 Street in Langley where police were investigating alleged drug trafficking activities.

“The RCMP determined the 243 Street residence was being utilized by Mr. Janjanin and his associates to unlawfully distribute cannabis and (a Langley home on 58 Avenue) was being utilized by Mr. Janjanin and his associates to store and package cannabis,” states the claim.

The RCMP obtained a search warrant for the two Langley residences, Janjanin's residence in North Vancouver and two vehicles.

On Sep. 2, the RCMP arrested Janjanin and another man, Nemanja Vojinovic, an associate of Janjanin's, for possession of cannabis for the purpose of distribution, according to the forfeiture suit.

Vojinovic has not been charged criminally for the activities related to the forfeiture suit, according to a search of online B.C. Court records.

Searches by the RCMP of the residences, Janjanin himself after he was arrested and one of the vehicles, located the cash and the gold bars.

The gold and the bulk of the money was found at Janjanin's North Vancouver residence, including all the European Union currency,

Also located by the RCMP searches were six kilograms of cannabis, 303 20-gram vials of cannabis resin, 190 cannabis capsules contained in 19 bags, 17 THC-infused cannabis gummies and eight THC-infused cannabis cookies.

Most of the cannabis was found at the 58 Avenue home in Langley.

According to the forfeiture suit, also found were 10 cellphones, four lap tops and “score sheets” that record transactions that included sales, collections and debts.

The police also located five weigh scales, drug-packaging material, firearm ammunition, body armour, batons and a security digital video recorder.