PIZZA JOINT A PIECE OF DRUG PROBE

Neighbours of a north-side pizza business said yesterday they were
surprised to learn it was at the centre of a joint RCMP-city police drug
investigation. The Project Koastline team was interested in the Gino's
Pizza outlet at Belmont Town Centre because it believed it had links to
accused cocaine trafficker Husny Sedik Ismael.

"I can't believe it," said Danielle Pratt, who works opposite the
now-defunct pizza business. "It seemed like a perfectly normal family pizza
restaurant."

Pharmacist Duncan McDonald said he was introduced to the last occupants of
the business about 11 months ago.

"They seemed like nice people," he said. "You seldom saw more than one car
parked outside at the time, so I guess they were making their money from
the delivery side of the business.

"I didn't think their pizza was that good."

Other neighbours agreed that the young men who ran the restaurant until
recently were pleasant and kept to themselves.

Project Koastline, which involved 11 RCMP officers and six city gang unit
cops, was launched 10 months ago to look into Ismael's alleged
money-laundering activities.

He was arrested by members of the city police tactical unit on April 13 and
his assets seized as possible proceeds of crime.

University of Alberta criminologist Kevin Haggerty said money laundering
often involves transferring money made illegally into legitimate bank accounts.

"Setting up a legitimate business is one way of doing it,' he explained.
"Then you can pass the proceeds of crime off as profits from the business,
when in reality the business isn't making much money. It's not just drug
dealers and other criminals who do this - it is often done to avoid taxation."

Ismael, 25, appeared in provincial court yesterday on 22 charges alleging
money laundering dating back to 1998, cocaine trafficking, and four
firearms offences. He is due back in court May 28 for election and plea.

Police estimate $800,000 worth of assets, including two homes in Edmonton
and eight condo units in Ontario, have been seized pending the outcome of
criminal proceedings against Ismael.