B.C. seeks forfeiture of house in View Royal

In suit, province alleges links to drug trafficking, money laundering

The province is seeking to have forfeited a $578,000 View Royal house allegedly linked to drug trafficking.

In a notice of claim filed Nov. 16, the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office seeks to have the house — at 74 Norquay Rd. — forfeited as proceeds of crime, alleging the house was used as a base to sell cocaine.

Named in the forfeiture suit is Roderick Gregory Hood, the owner of the home.

Accusations filed in the civil suit also include money laundering and failure to declare taxable income. Hood has not responded to the forfeiture suit, which includes allegations not proven in court.

Hood was arrested as part of an RCMP investigation but has not been charged criminally, according to a search of online B.C. 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-reasonabledoubt.

The forfeiture suit outlines that since 2017, West Shore RCMP had been dispatched to the property at 74 Norquay Rd. more than 30 times in response to drug trafficking and a drug overdose death.

A search conducted by RCMP of the Norquay property on July 18, discovered cocaine, weigh scales, drug paraphernalia, an electric grinder, an air rifle and cellphones, according to the forfeiture suit.