The recent increase in gang activity in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland can be linked back to historical conflicts between the two main organized crime groups in the region, Vancouver police Supt. Mike Porteous said Friday.
“Specifically as to the present day, we are experiencing a high level of gang violence and gang conflict now here regionally and it would be safe to say that that is a derivative of the historical conflict between the Red Scorpions and the United Nations,” Porteous said.
Porteous made the statement at a press conference discussing the recent arrest of high-profile Hells Angel Larry Amero. Amero, 40, was arrested in Ottawa Thursday and is facing conspiracy charges in the 2012 murders of Sandip Duhre and Sukhveer Dhak.
Duhre and Dhak were shot and killed in separate incidents in 2012. Duhre was killed in what Porteous called “a well-planned public execution” in the lobby of the Sheraton Wall Centre in January 2012. Later that year, Dhak was killed in a targeted shooting at the Burnaby Executive Hotel.
Vancouver police arrested Amero in Ottawa Thursday with help from Ottawa police and the Ontario Provincial Biker Enforcement Unit. He will remain in custody in Ontario until he is transported to B.C. to face charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
Two other men are also facing charges in the murders. Dean Michael Wiwchar, 32, is charged with one count of murder in relation to the killing of Duhre and one count of conspiracy to commit the murder of Dhak.
Rabih “Robby” Alkhalil, 30, is already facing a murder charge in the Duhre’s death.
When asked why it took so long to arrest and charge those suspected in the murder, Porteous said that in general, murder investigations are complex and can take some time.
“Murder investigations involving pre-planning and conspiracy and multiple suspects involved in gang organized crime activity often take longer because of the sophistication of the criminals,” he said. “Any murder investigation that we have, any direct threat to public safety, is never closed. This case was open and actively worked upon for that amount of time.”
Porteous said for security reasons he could not say exactly when Amero would be back in B.C., but did say: “He will have to come here fairly soon to face his charges.”
Last week, in discussing the recent fatal shooting on Broadway that saw two people killed, including an innocent bystander, 15-year-old Alfred Wong, Chief Adam Palmer said the region is currently experiencing a significant level of gang-related violence.
Porteous echoed that statement Friday, adding, “When we have murders of people in public places it’s a priority for the police. Some cases are more difficult and complex than others but I think this really speaks to our ability to partner nationally with the police and the prosecution service and also the doggedness of the investigators and the never give up kind of mindset.”
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