B.C. SEES SUCCESS HITTING CRIMINALS IN POCKETBOOK

$5 Million Seized From Gangsters So Far Under Civil Forfeiture Program

VANCOUVER -- B.C.'s two-year-old civil forfeiture program has taken $5
million away from criminals and gangsters, solicitor general John van
Dongen said yesterday.

Standing in front of a pristine 1999 Mercedes seized after its
gangster owner was found with a gun in a secret compartment, van
Dongen said the program is hitting the criminals where it hurts: their
wallets.

The program became self-sufficient in just 18 months -- half the time
the government thought would be necessary to have it pay for itself
with seized gangster assets, he said.

"It has also begun paying good dividends for victims of crime and
local prevention and remediation efforts," van Dongen said.

Since the program began in mid-2006, there have been 166 cases
referred to the civil forfeiture office from police forces around B.C.
That has led to 35 cases that have already been settled out of court
on terms put forward by the government office.

"We have yet to see a case go to full trial in B.C.," van Dongen
boasted.

But that may soon change. The Nanaimo Hells Angels chapter was in
court in Victoria this past week, battling to regain control of its
clubhouse and accompanying property, which was seized by the civil
forfeiture office last December. The hearing will continue in Supreme
Court next week.

"There may be setbacks in the future," the minister said. "I want to
be clear that we don't regard civil forfeiture as a magic answer. It
is just one tool that is helping us to remove the profit motive from
illegal activity in British Columbia."

The Mercedes, estimated to be worth about $20,000, can be purchased
through the police online auction site at www.bcauction.ca. By late
yesterday, the highest of 44 bids received was $15,300.

Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu also praised the program yesterday,
warning gangsters that police are coming for their toys.

"You may think that you are living large. But we are going to make
sure you won't live that way for long," Chu said. "All the profits you
make off the misery of others -- the money, the cars, the houses --
will be taken from you. The money you have extorted from others will
be used to bring you down. You will in the end pay for your own demise."

He said the VPD is working on a major anti-gang initiative that will
be revealed soon. The whole program will be funded from the civil
forfeiture program, he said.