SEIZE HOMES OF DRUG CRIMINALS, USE MONEY FOR ADDICTS, MP URGES

An angry B.C. MP is demanding further punitive action against a Langley man
he says lived off welfare for 10 years while acquiring three homes and
running a grow-op.

Randy White, Conservative for Langley-Abbotsford, recently told this story
to the House of Commons in Ottawa:

"Phu Son came to Canada in 1994. He was 38 years old and had no money when
he arrived.

"He has been on welfare from the first time he arrived 10 years ago. He
recently got busted for drug-dealing.

"Now, I find he owns three homes; not one but three; one in Abbotsford,
another in Aldergrove and yet another in Langley."

White continued: "How does a person come to Canada and stay on welfare for
10 years?

"How does a person living exclusively on welfare come to own three houses?

"Why are these houses not seized as proceeds of crime and used for
rehabilitation of drug addicts?"

Confronted last week by a Province reporter at his home in Langley, Phu Son
claimed to be a changed man.

"Yes," Son admits to having once grown pot. "But not anymore."

Yes, he was once on welfare, his son-in-law says, but not anymore.

But Son, 48, denies he took advantage of welfare.

"No, I don't have a problem with the welfare," the soft-spoken Son said,
shaking his head. "I don't know about this. I want to know who said this."

Son's son-in-law, who declined to give his name, added: "No, it's not true.
He works on a mushroom farm. He was on welfare, but not anymore. He works
on a mushroom farm; that's why he's not on welfare anymore."

A review of property records done by The Province shows Son owns a home in
Abbotsford bought for $214,000 in 2002 and others in Langley and Aldergrove
under his wife and son's names. Together, they cost more than $370,000.

At the home in Langley, which was recently sold, Son has all the trappings
of a suburban family -- a car and minivan in the driveway, a barbecue on
the back patio and kids playing in the yard.

Court records show that on March 22 this year, Son pleaded guilty in Surrey
Provincial Court to producing a controlled substance.

A judge gave Son a nine-month conditional sentence to be served in the
community, with the condition he do 25 hours of community work, report to a
bail supervisor, obey a curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and pay a $100
victim surcharge.

But White says there's something "dreadfully wrong with the picture."

He wants Ottawa and Victoria to explain why Son's homes weren't seized as
proceeds of crime and why no one bothered to launch an investigation into
Son's welfare claims.

White has forwarded Son's case to the Ministry of Human Resources, but
ministry spokesman Mike Long said he could not comment on any specific case.

Son's lawyer did not return repeated calls from The Province.

Son's case aside, White alleges welfare fraud in B.C. is costing taxpayers
millions.

White says he has been asking Victoria and Ottawa to take a tougher stance
on cracking down on grow-ops, as well as welfare claims.

"Here's what I would recommend: People like Phu Son (a) deported, (b) the
houses are taken from you, sorry, and given over to facilities for
rehabilitation. That's the very least that should happen to an individual,"
said White. "On a national basis, there's got to be some teeth put into
proceeds-of-crime legislation without lawyers and judges meddling and
looking for loopholes."