'VIOLENT' GANG GAINING NOTORIETY ACROSS B.C.

Provincial police officers are keeping quiet on the status of
Abbotsford's UN Gang, but one - speaking anonymously - says they are
an "up-and-coming force" in B.C.

The officer went on to say the gang, which has about 35 to 40 core
members, "is very violent" compared to some of B.C.'s other organized
crime groups.

Abbotsford police Const. Casey Vinet confirmed that the UN Gang -
which stands for United Nations because of the gang members' various
nationalities - "is a very sophisticated gang and they are aggressive
and they work very much on the premise of . . . intimidation and fear."

He says the gang consists mainly of men in their early 20s, and is
mostly involved in drug trafficking and the movement of weapons -
"very much what other organized crime [groups] represent."

Vinet did not know how the UN Gang stacks up to other well-known gangs
such as the Hells Angels, and B.C. Integrated Gang Task Force Const.
Shinder Kirk refused to get into specific details on the gang.

All Kirk would say is "we are aware of this group."

He wouldn't give a reason why he wouldn't elaborate.

Vinet was also relatively tight-lipped, noting that "we don't want to
jeopardize any information we may have on these guys."

Vinet did say the gang is getting bigger after forming about five
years ago, and that they are a "force" in the Fraser Valley.

To put the gang's power into perspective, Abbotsford MP Randy White
came forward earlier this month with a chilling story about a
16-year-old boy who White says was kidnapped by the UN Gang and
tortured so he could act as their "muscle" and collect money from debtors.

White says the boy was beaten, burned and told the only way he could
leave the gang was to go to prison or in a body bag.

"This is not a kid who has done drugs or done bad," White told The
Vancouver Sun.

"This is a kid who was scared and thought he was protecting his
family."

White says he has since helped the boy leave the community, and the
boy is doing well.

But the retiring MP believes the gang is targeting other local
youth.

"I would suggest they've probably already got someone else's child,"
said White.

Vinet stressed that the story of the 16-year-old boy is the only one
he's heard in regards to teenagers being kidnapped and forced into the
UN Gang.

"We care very much about the students in our community," stressed
Vinet. "We'll continue to work with the schools to identify any impact
[the gang] may have on our students."