B.C. seeks to seize millions in properties tied to alleged criminals

British Columbia's civil forfeiture office is targeting five properties valued at more than $14 million, alleging they are connected to organized crime and international drug trafficking.

The assets include a $3.6 million house in White Rock and a $2.6 million house in South Surrey linked to alleged drug boss Ravinder Singh Dhanda. Three properties in Surrey, valued at nearly $3 million and $2.6 million, and a $5.5 million residence in West Vancouver are connected to Garinder Singh Deo.

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Civil forfeiture is a process widely used in British Columbia to target the assets of organized crime and others who are involved in criminality. It is a civil process.

These seizures are part of "Operation Hard Ball," a multinational law enforcement effort targeting transnational organized crime groups linked to India. Both Dhanda and Deo were among 37 defendants targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Organized crime often work through numbered companies, nominees, so there could well be someone who comes up and says, ‘No, this is my mansion, I bought it,’ but that will take time to sort out.

"Civil forfeiture is a process widely used in British Columbia to target the assets of organized crime and others who are involved in criminality," said Peter German, a lawyer and former RCMP Deputy Commissioner. "It is a civil process."

If the properties are eventually sold, the proceeds will fund crime prevention and community safety grants. Over the past two decades, B.C.'s Director of Civil Forfeiture has seized assets totaling more than $221 million.

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As soon as the property has been restrained or seized by the government, it’s the government’s responsibility to maintain that property in as good a condition as possible.