COURT HEARS DRUG DEALER RIP CREW ON TAPED CALLS

Tony Terezakis Has Pleaded Guilty To Number Of Charges

Drug dealer Anthony "Tony" Terezakis was heard frequently berating
his motley crew of underlings on intercepted phone calls played for a
B.C. Supreme Court jury yesterday.

Terezakis has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic and two counts
of trafficking cocaine and heroin out of two hotels in Vancouver's
Downtown Eastside.

But he's pleaded not guilty to 12 other criminal counts, including
assault, assault causing bodily harm and unlawful confinement.

It's the theory of federal prosecutors that the profanity-laced calls
intercepted by police form the "context" of the alleged assaults at
the American and Cobalt hotels.

Police intercepted hundreds of calls between Terezakis and his
associates between February 2002 and May 2002. About 90 of those
calls were played in court yesterday.

At one point, Terezakis angrily denounces an associate nicknamed
"Pops" for apparently giving away dope at one of the hotels.

"If he's giving it away, he's got to pay for it," he says.

Terezakis goes on to say that he's been told that "night business has
dropped 50 per cent" but adds he is "skeptical" of that claim made by
his associates.

The calls paint a picture of a crew who can't remember phone numbers,
fail to inform Terezakis of problems and fail to show up for "work"
at the hotel.

One of the crew is apparently arrested at one point, but later
released by police.

"They told me we were lucky we didn't catch you with anything," an
associate says, an apparent reference to police. "We're going to let you go."

Much of the conversations are in code, with no reference to drugs or
trafficking. Terezakis and his crew are heard speaking of "cans of
paint" on several calls.

"How much paint did you have left last night?" asks Terezakis.

"I had two cans of No. 1 paint," is the reply.

The jury is expected to hear more phone calls today and possibly
videos taken of the alleged assaults at the two hotels. The trial,
before B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice Heather Holmes, is expected
to run two weeks.