BC seeks $5.6M in property seizure over alleged criminal connections

Millions of dollars worth of real estate in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley will soon find their way into taxpayers’ coffers unless the owners can prove they acquired the homes, the money and the drugs inside through legal channels. Two properties in Vancouver and one in Abbotsford have been named in an application for an unexplained assets order (UWO) in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The estimated value of the homes totals more than $5.6 million. Court documents show the legal battle began in December 2023 against the owners of 4372 Victoria Drive, 1890 41 E Vancouver and 27658 Quinton Avenue, who were named as Jianxin Huang and Xiao Zhen Jean Li. The filing alleges that Huang was arrested for murder and attempted murder in a Sept. 10, 2023, shooting that left Zuhoruddin Mansoori, 35, and another unnamed person injured near the East Vancouver home along Victoria Drive. A press release from Vancouver police said 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 grow operation, ammunition and over $1.4 million in cash,” the Ministry of Public Safety and the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement Monday. According to the documents, there was a grow operation in the basement of the Victoria Drive home and another cannabis grow operation in rural Abbotsford, allegedly produced for the purpose of trafficking. More than $20,000 was also seized in October of that year at 2118 E 37 Avenue; however, that home is not listed under the Civil Forfeiture Actions. A search of BC criminal records shows no charges against the couple and the civil court records have not been proven in criminal court. The BC government has threatened to seize the financial assets of anyone it believes is profiting from alleged illegal operations, regardless of whether that person has been convicted in criminal court. If approved, the names in the order would have to provide evidence that it is legitimate. It is the province’s fourth submission, and Public Safety Minister and Attorney General Mike Farnworth suggests it won’t be the last. “We are resolute in identifying people involved in 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 continue to pursue the assets of criminals whose unlawful activities fuel chaos and violence in our communities,” the statement adds. You may also like: – Charges laid in horrific stranger attacks in Vancouver near Queen Elizabeth Theatre – New BC metrics target repeat violent offenders, expand responses to mental health crisis