Six alleged members of a gang involved in drug trafficking have been charged with drug and other offenses following the execution of seven search warrants throughout B.C.
A three-year investigation by the Brothers Keepers Task Force of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) also resulted in significant seizures, police said.
Seized items included 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.
“Their drug trafficking network and violent gang activity has impacted numerous communities around British Columbia,” police said in a Nov. 4 release.
The charges follow previous arrests as police cracked down on the gang as it began expanding its operations.
The Brothers Keepers Task Force launched in 2018. Over the last few years, investigators have gained vital intelligence about the gang and their drug trafficking network, the release notes.
Their investigation used 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.
Who has been charged?
The six people charged are from Vancouver, Surrey and Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island.
Amandeep Singh Kang, 29, of Vancouver 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 has been arrested and remains in custody.
Andrew Miguel Best, 21, of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island 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.
CFSEU-BC has not been able to locate Best and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
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 an remains in custody.
Jannat 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.
CFSEU-BC has not been able to locate Nadeem and a warrant has been issued for her arrest.
Moshmem Khanun Khan, 45, of Surrey 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.
Khan was arrested and released from custody.
Tanisha Bhatti, 25, of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»faces a charge of conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance. Bhatti was arrested and remains in custody.
Earlier busts
The gang had apparently been looking to expand its influence beyond Mission and Abbotsford, with 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 the 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. The investigation uncovered a variety of drugs, including 540 grams of mixtures using fentanyl (or related substances), different types of cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA. Several kilograms of cutting agent were also seized. Seven people were charged.
