One of the murder victims found Monday near a Burnaby high school was the subject of civil forfeiture action almost two years ago.
On Wednesday, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team identified Kiesha Garie, 31, and Umair Kasim, 30, as the people found in a vehicle near Alpha Secondary. IHIT has not explained why Garie and Kasim were together.
The Director of Civil Forfeiture claimed that Kasim’s 2017 Acura MDX, seized Sept. 4, 2020, by the Delta Police Department, was the proceeds of crime.
“Mr. Kasim is prohibited from possessing firearms and has a criminal record that includes failure to comply and trafficking in a controlled substance,” said the November 2020 B.C. Supreme Court court application.
Kasim leased the vehicle from Coquitlam Chrysler Dodge Jeep.
The court filing said that Delta PD received complaints in July 2020 of trafficking activity at a residence on Williams Avenue near the Point Roberts/Boundary Bay border crossing. They also found similar drug trafficking at an address on Hammersmith Way near the Richmond RCMP headquarters.
Police arrested suspects in a vehicle outside the Delta address on Aug. 19, 2020 and found $7,198.02 in Canadian currency, several small individually wrapped bags of crack cocaine and fentanyl on the front passenger seat; a cellphone on which a police officer answered two calls from customers ordering controlled substances; weigh scales; records of transactions; bear spray; two pairs of brass knuckles; and small quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, powder cocaine and crystal meth.
The Director of Civil Forfeiture alleged Kasim was involved in production, possession and trafficking of illicit cannabis and controlled substances, possession of proceeds of crime, and using a vehicle with an illegal after-market compartment.
“The vehicle has been used by the defendant to engage in unlawful activities which variously resulted in, or were likely to result in, the acquisition of property or an interest in property, or caused, or were likely to cause serious bodily harm,” said the civil forfeiture filing.
"The defendant obtained the vehicle by participating in the unlawful activity. The defendant intended to use the vehicle to engage in the unlawful activity. If the vehicle, or proceeds from the sale of the vehicle, are released to the defendant, they will likely be used for the unlawful activity."
Kasim was one of eight defendants in civil forfeiture actions related to Delta Police operations code named “Project Rolling Thunder” and "Project Big Smoke.” In November 2020, Delta Police said they believed they busted an operation that was capable of producing $18 million of black market cannabis annually and they said evidence seized indicated links to the Hells Angels and United Nations gang.
