B.C. targets assets of duo arrested in Winnipeg

Two B.C. men — one convicted in a high-profile 1982 slaying and the other 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 being 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 worth 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 semitrailer and several other high-end vehicles. The director also wants Khan’s 2007 Mercedes forfeited.

The suit alleges that neither men have “sufficient legitimate income to have acquired or maintained” the house or vehicles subject to the seizure application.

The director laid 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 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.”

(The Winnipeg arrests are) a testament to the commitment of our policing partners at a national level.

“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 in cash.

Police conducted searches with warrants in B.C., Alberta and Manitoba. At a Winnipeg house owned by Khan, they found 6.5 kilograms 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 as well as “Independent Soldiers paraphernalia including patches, sweaters, jackets and a painting.”

At Rodney’s Surrey home in the 19300 block of 73A Avenue, police also found $100,000 cash, the director said.

Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said “Khan is well known to police for having a longstanding affiliation and ties to the B.C. gang landscape.”

The Winnipeg arrests are “a testament to the commitment of our policing partners at a national level to hold individuals accountable for their role in gangs and gang violence and the fear they illicit on our communities,” she said.

The civil forfeiture suit notes the criminal history of both Rodney and Khan.

“Mr. Rodney has a criminal record dating back to 1964 that includes convictions for fraud, break and enter and theft, possession of stolen property, manslaughter and Excise Tax Act offences,” the director of civil forfeiture said.

“Mr. Khan has a criminal record that includes convictions for assault, firearms offences, possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. Mr. Khan has a lifetime ban to possess firearms.”