SHAUGHNESSY MURDER LINKED TO ORGANIZED CRIME IN TORONTO

Raymond Huang Kept Low Profile As Resource For Cell

A man gunned down outside a $5-million mansion in Vancouver was
connected to Asian organized crime in Toronto, police say.

A 10-year-old girl called 911 Saturday night to report her father was
shot. Hong Chao "Raymond" Huang died before police arrived at the
palatial Shaughnessy home.

Blood spatters on the grass outside the front gate and a charcoal
brazier and incense sticks from a sombre ceremony conducted by
Huang's family were all that remained yesterday at the scene of the killing.

The property has an assessed value of $5.2 million. Title is held by
Mei Zhen Wang, described on government documents as retired.

A police source told The Province that Huang, 45, was a resource
person in the Big Circle Boys who could get large amounts of money to
invest in drug shipments and other criminal enterprises.

Yesterday, a Toronto police expert in Asian organized crime said he
knew of Huang, but would not elaborate because Vancouver police were
investigating the killing.

Vancouver police Const. Tim Fanning confirmed Huang was known to
police in other Canadian jurisdictions. He said Vancouver police will
probe links to other cities and may investigate leads overseas.

Huang's killing is an example of a new trend in Vancouver homicides,
Fanning said.

"It would appear that there's more activity with the criminals
shooting it out in the streets. Most of the time, it's gangs or associates."

A police source told The Province earlier that Huang was a
high-ranking Dai Lo, or Big Brother, in the Big Circle Boys criminal
organization.

Members of the Big Circle Boys are grouped into cells of four to 15
members, with a Big Brother in charge of each cell, said Toronto
police organized-crime specialist Det. Raymond Miu. Some cells are
linked to each other, some are not.

Big Circle Boys are involved in producing and selling ecstasy and
marijuana, Miu said. Members will commit murders and kidnappings for
ransom as part of their own disputes or as contractors for other
criminals, he said.

Big Circle Boys also control credit-card counterfeiting in Canada,
according to a 1999 RCMP Criminal Intelligence Directorate report.

"Their strength is that they are networked globally and have contacts
with many groups involved in diverse criminal activities," the report said.

Big Circle Boys may be murdered in conflicts with rival members or
other organized crime groups, particularly when drugs are concerned, Miu said.

After the killing Saturday night, bullet shells littered the ground
outside the granite walls surrounding the yellow Huang mansion.

The police source said Huang kept a low profile, but had been linked
to one or two money seizures involving $70,000 to $100,000. Police
believe he came to Canada about 10 years ago, the source said.

Big Circle Boys originated with the Red Guards, the paramilitary
troops of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Many of these men were
sent to prison camps after the death of Mao Zedong. Some escaped and
ended up forming criminal organizations in North America.

Huang's killing was Vancouver's 18th homicide of the year.