A new anti-gang police task force, specifically targeted at a new criminal operation called “Brothers Keepers,” has been working behind the scenes in B.C. for two years.
In 2018, as a result of an increase in gang-related violence in the Lower Mainland and across the province involving the emerging Brothers Keepers, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. (CFSEU-BC) led the creation of a task force dedicated to targeted disruption, suppression and enforcement of the gang’s activities.
The task force honed in on the Brothers Keepers’ drug trafficking networks, including synthetic opioid distribution and violent gang activities.
Over 30 kilos of suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine have been seized.
In terms of the potential harm to British Columbians that these drugs would have caused, had they hit the streets, it is estimated that by seizing these drugs the CFSEU-BC, and its policing partners, may have prevented tens of millions of lethal doses.
“This multi-year collaborative effort led by CFSEU-BC…has been able to not only unveil the anatomy of the Brothers Keepers, but allow us, and our partners, to focus disruption and enforcement efforts so they have the greatest chance of impact,” said Supt. Paul Dadwal, CFSEU-BC’s operations officer.
“We remain committed to targeting those who pose the greatest risk to public safety due to their involvement in gang-related activities and policing in British Columbia is unified in its resolve to suppress, disrupt, and prevent groups like the Brothers Keepers who show such wanton disregard for the well-being of Canadians.”
According to police, the gang made up of approximately a dozen core members, each with criminal affiliations, networks, and cells of varying sizes.
The network is comprised of gang and non-gang members, which, police believe, reveals the risk for victimization and/or recruitment of non-gang members as a result of their associations with the Brothers Keepers.
While the number of core members may only be about a dozen, their network of 194 people, police say, highlights the reach the Brothers Keepers has.
And as their network grows, as is the case with other gangs, it increases their potential to recruit and expand outside of the Lower Mainland and B.C.
The task force has also been able to collect intelligence and information, previously unknown, about the Brothers Keepers.
It was through these efforts and the collaboration with police partners, that the CFSEU-BC has been able to determine that the Brothers Keepers and their criminal network not only spread to all corners of British Columbia, but expanded its territory and network to Alberta and Ontario.
However, throughout the expansion efforts of the Brothers Keepers, the task force was successful in disrupting their intended expansion into the Nanaimo area of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island.
According to police, the group first emerged within the B.C. gang landscape in 2017 and were immediately in direct conflict with rival gangs such as the Red Scorpions, the Wolfpack, the Hells Angels, the United Nations, and numerous other individuals and groups.
This conflict resulted in violence manifesting on streets and in communities across the province.
The CFSEU-BC’s researchers and intelligence analysts are analyzing the information captured since the creation of the task force and data indicates a 38.5 per cent decrease in combined gang-related homicides and attempted homicides from January 2017 to December 2019.
Police say the Brothers Keepers Task Force will “continue to conduct and assist other agencies with coordinating intelligence and investigations. Several investigations by CFSEU-BC and its partner agencies are at various stages and the CFSEU-BC and other agencies will announce charges and results specific to those investigations at the appropriate time.”
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