Convicted killer will get new parole conditions after chemicals seized
A B.C. man convicted in 2017 of manslaughter after a botched kidnapping must now live in a halfway house after Richmond RCMP seized precursor chemicals from his luxury riverfront condo.
Tian Yi (Eddie) Zhang, 31, was released on full parole on Nov. 1, 2023 after a successful stretch on day parole, according to a Parole Board of Canada decision released to Postmedia on Friday.
But Zhang's parole was suspended after Richmond RCMP searched his $3.2-million condo on Dec. 20 and found tens of thousands of dollars and boxes full of chemicals used in making fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Zhang, his spouse Ya Ran Li, who owns the condo, and an associate were briefly arrested and released. The B.C. government has since filed a lawsuit saying the fifthfloor unit at 5131 Brighouse Way should be forfeited. The statement of claim filed by the director of civil forfeiture last month said Zhang and the associate “picked up two boxes from the concierge desk of the property strata building,” and took them to the fifth floor, where they were arrested.
“The first box contained five heat-sealed foil bags, each weighing approximately five kilograms — one bag of iodine and four bags of sodium hydroxide,” the document alleged.
“The second box also contained five heat sealed bags, which weighed approximately five kilograms — three bags of iodine and two bags of benzo methyl ketone.”
All three of the chemicals are used to produce methamphetamine.
Inside Zhang and Li's suite, police seized the cash: $53,650 Canadian, “bundled or packaged in a manner not consistent with standard banking practices,” as well as a cash-counting machine, the lawsuit alleged.
There were also two more “cardboard boxes, each weighing approximately 25 kilograms and containing a white powder” located under the stairs close to most of the cash. Inside was a chemical used to make fentanyl.
Neither Zhang nor Li have filed a statement of defence. But the parole documents quote Zhang claiming the boxes belonged to his neighbour and he was just dropping them off. And he said he was “shocked” to learn about the cash and other items found in the condo.
Parole board member Patrick Storey said in the latest decision that given no new charges have been laid, Zhang should be re-released on parole, but with added conditions.
“Though the board is very concerned about the circumstances of your suspension and the fact that a police investigation is ongoing, no charges have been approved by Crown counsel at this point,” Storey said.
Storey said Zhang's “risk to reoffend can be managed with a residency and curfew condition imposed.”
But he delayed Zhang's release for 30 days “to allow a release plan to be developed.”
In February 2017, Zhang was handed a net sentence of 11 years, 10 months after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, unlawful confinement and extortion in connection with the kidnapping of Peng Sun in September 2015. Sun, 22, ended up accidentally strangled by a zap strap around his neck while he was being held for ransom in a North Vancouver basement.
At the time, Zhang claimed to have a gambling debt and “agreed to participate in crime to pay this debt off.”
Storey also said in the parole decision, dated March 20, that Correctional Service Canada staff had recommended revocation of Zhang's parole because of “the large amount of chemical precursors found in your possession and the lab equipment, the large quantity of cash and the number of cellphones located in your residence.”
And he noted that Zhang has a deportation order against him and is therefore unable to work in Canada and is being supported financially by family members.