BC files to seize $5.6M in real estate due to alleged crime connections
Millions of dollars in real estate in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley will soon be making their way into taxpayer coffers unless the owners can prove they obtained the homes, the cash, and the drugs inside through legal channels.
Two properties in Vancouver and one in Abbotsford have been named in an unexplained wealth order (UWO) application in the British Columbia Supreme Court. The assessed value of the homes totals more than $5.6 million.
The Ministry of Public Safety is forcing the owners of 4372 Victoria Drive to prove they aren’t connected to crime to keep their property. (Google Maps)
Court documents show the legal fight against the owners of 4372 Victoria Drive, 1890 41 E Vancouver, and 27658 Quinton Avenue began in December 2023, and Jianxin Huang and Xiao Zhen Jean Li were named.
The property at 1890 E 41 was valued at $1.3 million in 2023. (Google Maps)
The filing claims that Huang was arrested for murder and attempted murder in a September 10, 2023, shooting investigation that left Zuhoruddin Mansoori, 35, and another unnamed person hurt near the home in East Vancouver along Victoria Drive. A news release from the Vancouver Police Department stated that Mansoori later died in hospital from his injuries.
“As part of the subsequent criminal investigation, the suspect’s home was searched to secure evidence. Police discovered an illegal cannabis-growing operation, ammunition, and more than $1.4 million in cash,” the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said in a statement Monday.
According to the documents, there was a grow-op in the basement of the Victoria Drive home and another cannabis operation at the Abbotsford rural property, allegedly to be produced for the purpose of trafficking.
A Google Maps view of the property named in a BC Supreme Court filing. (Google Maps)
More than $20,000 was also seized in October of that year at 2118 E 37 Avenue; however, that home has not been listed among the Civil Forfeiture Actions.
A search of BC’s criminal registry shows no charges against the pair, and the civil court filings have not been proven in a criminal court.
The BC Prosecution Service told Daily Hive after this story was published that no charges were laid.
“Under the Charge Assessment Guidelines, charges will only be approved where Crown Counsel is satisfied that the evidence gathered by the investigative agency provides a substantial likelihood of conviction and, if so, that a prosecution is required in the public interest. A substantial likelihood of conviction exists where Crown Counsel is satisfied there is a strong, solid case of substance to present to the Court,” Damienne Darby with the service explained.
“The BC Prosecution Service can confirm that no charges were laid in this case. The prosecutor reviewed the file materials and concluded that the charge assessment standard was not met. In these circumstances, not laying charges is the appropriate course of action,” Darby added.
The BC government has threatened to seize the financial assets of those it deems to be profiting from allegedly illegal operations, regardless of whether that person has been convicted in a criminal court. If granted, those names in the order will have to produce evidence that it’s legitimate.
It’s the province’s fourth filing, and Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth suggests it won’t be the last.
“We are steadfast in identifying people who are involved with guns, gangs and drugs, and seizing their ill-gotten assets to prevent them from profiting from the misery of others,” his statement reads in part.
“Premier David Eby and I will continue to crack down on guns, gangs and drugs, and we will persist in going after the assets of criminals whose unlawful activities fuel chaos and violence in our communities,” the statement adds.