Two alleged members of the Brothers Keepers drug gang have been released on strict bail conditions.
All six members of the up-and-coming gang have made their initial court appearances to face multiple drug trafficking charges.
The latest to appear are Amandeep Singh Kang, 29, of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and Andrew Miguel Best, 21, of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island, both of whom appeared by video before a Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Provincial Court judge on Nov. 18.
Kang faces charges of:
- Being a member of a criminal organization that knowingly instructed, directly or indirectly any person to commit trafficking in a controlled substance;
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization;
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance;
- Trafficking a controlled substance, and;
- Three counts of possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
Kang was released on a $150,000 bail and can have no contact with members of the Brothers Keepers—including the co-accused—or other gangs. He must also obey a curfew, surrender all travel documents and have electronic monitoring. In addition, he can only have one cellphone, which must not have data encryption capability. All cell usage data had to be provided to a bail supervisor.
The judge ordered a ban on publication on the proceedings at the request of Kang’s lawyer, Michael Klein.
Best faces charges of:
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization;
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance;
- Trafficking a controlled substance, and;
- Possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
Best was released on a $7,200 bill and faces similar conditions to Kang.
Dylan Robert Ferris, 22 of Surrey, made an initial court appearance on Nov. 18 but, like the other accused, had his case put over to Dec. 14.
Ferris faces charges of:
- Possessing a restricted firearm without an authorization or licence;
- Two counts of possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking;
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization;
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance, and;
- Trafficking a controlled substance.
The appearances came after a three-year investigation by a dedicated Brothers Keepers Task Force of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).
The investigation resulted in significant seizures, police said, including more than 11 kilograms of drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl; a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 calibre pistol; laboratory equipment and precursor chemicals used in the production and processing of synthetic drugs; and more than $50,000.
Court documents show the alleged offences occurred in Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Kelowna, Kamloops and Maple Ridge.
Who else has been charged?
Janna Bibi Nadeem, 21 of Surrey, faces charges of:
- Being a member of a criminal organization that knowingly instructed, directly or indirectly any person to commit trafficking in a controlled substance;
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization;
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance;
- Trafficking a controlled substance, and;
- Possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
Moshmem Khanun Khan, 45 of Surrey, face charges of:
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization;
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance;
- Trafficking a controlled substance, and;
- Possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
Khan was arrested and released from custody.
Tanisha Bhatti, 25 of Vancouver, faces a charge of conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance.
Dylan Robert Ferris, 22 of Surrey, faces charges of:
- Possessing a restricted firearm without an authorization or licence;
- Two counts of possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking;
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization;
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance, and;
- Trafficking a controlled substance.
Ferris has been arrested. He appeared Thursday for an initial appearance, his case put to Dec. 14.
Who are the Brothers Keepers?
CFSEU reports the Brothers Keepers first emerged in B.C.’s 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,” police said.
CFSEU says the Brothers Keepers comprises about a dozen core members and that each member has criminal affiliations, networks, and cells of varying sizes.
While the may only be about a core dozen, the network of 194 people highlights the reach the Brothers Keepers has, police said.
“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 British Columbia, demonstrating why it is important for the group to be targeted by law enforcement in order to disrupt this growth and criminal expansion.”
In 2018, CFSEU began a coordinated provincial enforcement effort dubbed the “Brothers Keepers Task Force” which gained vital intelligence about the gang calling themselves the “Brothers Keepers,” their drug trafficking network, and violent gang activity that has impacted numerous communities around British Columbia.
The investigation involved the use of analytical tools, such as social network analysis to explore intelligence and information about the Brothers Keepers, its networks and connections. That data yielded data leading to individual investigations into gang members police said posed a risk to public safety.
“One of these investigations gathered substantial evidence related to the inter-provincial drug trafficking network of an alleged executive member of the Brothers Keepers, including their aggressive expansion of drug distribution territory from the Lower Mainland to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island and the Kamloops area,” police said.
Earlier busts as gang fought for territory
The gang had apparently been looking to expand its influence beyond Mission and Abbotsford, violence growing in a fight for territory.
"In late 2018, CFSEU-BC worked with the Mission RCMP Drug Section and the Abbotsford Police Department in response to intelligence on an alleged drug line," states the CFSEU-BC in a press release.
They note the fight to control the territory had become a priority for police as violence spiked.
In May, police reported a bust at an Abbotsford house, and investigation found a variety of drugs, including 540 grams of mixtures using fentanyl (or related substances), different types of cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA. Several kilograms of a cutting agent was also seized.
Seven people were charged.
