The British Columbia government is moving to seize two multimillion-dollar homes in Surrey, claiming they were used as bases for a major drug-trafficking operation uncovered earlier this year.
As per Vancouver Sun, Police allege Aneeza Rehnaaz Ali and Mohammed Saiyad Ali were running a large-scale drug operation across the Lower Mainland and into regional communities.
It is reported that a civil forfeiture application lodged in the B.C. Supreme Court on 16 October alleges the properties — worth a combined AUD$6.2 million — were both instruments of crime and purchased using illicit proceeds.
The homes, located in the suburbs of Panorama Ridge and Fleetwood, became the centre of an RCMP investigation that began in February.
A major breakthrough came on 10 September, when officers raided the Fleetwood property and reportedly discovered 21 kilograms of methamphetamine, 15 kilograms of fentanyl and 10 kilograms of cocaine. Investigators also found industrial mixing equipment, drug-packaging materials, chemical dyes, respiratory masks, drug-mixing recipes, and mail addressed to the two alleged operators.
It is reported that although both Alis were arrested the same day for trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking, no criminal charges have yet been laid. The case has instead progressed through civil forfeiture, a mechanism increasingly used by Canadian authorities to disrupt suspected criminal enterprises even before convictions are secured.
According to court filings, reported by Vancouver Sun, the director of civil forfeiture claims the homes were used not only to produce and distribute illicit substances, but also to launder money, with the owners allegedly failing to declare taxable income. Records show the Fleetwood house, purchased in 2022, is valued at roughly AUD$2.2 million, while the Panorama Ridge property, bought in 2021, is assessed at about AUD$3.9 million.
RCMP officials told local media that the September seizure has significantly disrupted the drug supply chain in the region, with investigators believing the substances were destined for communities stretching from Vancouver through to the Okanagan.
Police are now preparing a detailed brief for federal prosecutors to consider potential criminal charges.
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