Several containers and bags of what appeared to be cocaine and crack were found in the Surrey apartment suite where six men were executed in 2007, according to court documents.
An admission of facts filed in court during the trial of three men accused of first-degree murder indicate there were two glass Pyrex containers found in the oven containing a white substance believed to be cocaine.
Another 116 grams of an off-white substance thought to be cocaine was also found in the oven, and 119 grams of something white believed to be crack cocaine was in the freezer.
A total of 245 grams of an off-white substance believed to be crack was also found in the kitchen’s upper cupboards in suite 1505.
Cody Haevischer, Matthew Johnston and Michael Le are currently on trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver for first-degree murder and conspiracy. They are accused of killing alleged drug dealers Edward Narong, Ryan Bartolomeo, and brothers Corey and Michael Lal, and bystanders Edward Schellenberg and Christopher Mohan.
While friends and family of some of the deceased testified last week they had vague knowledge of their loved ones’ possible involvement in the drug trade, they said they did not think they were successful or powerful dealers.
Corey Lal’s girlfriend of two years said he was not at all flashy and when asked if she knew him well, answered, “So I thought.”
A friend of Bartolomeo’s said she saw him pack bags with drugs, leave, and return without the bags. In her police statement, she also referred to him leaving for 12 hours at a time when he was “running,” which she explained in court was delivering for a dial-a-dope operation.
Caesar Tiojanco, who owned the suite where the murders took place, but rented it out, testified last week that the tenants paid their rent in cash. He said he had examined the suite less than a week before the murders and found no sign of drugs.
Also in the admission of fact were some details about the autopsies of the victims, which revealed that blood-soaked business cards of fireplace technician Schellenberg were found in the jacket pocket of Narong. Schellenberg, a gas fitter, and his nephew had been servicing fireplaces at the apartment building all week. Suite 1505 was his last one.
The admission of facts also show that Eileen Mohan, mother of victim Chris Mohan, left for work from suite 1504 by 9 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2007. She had arranged beforehand for her son to be there when the fireplace technician arrived later in the day.
“This was the last time Mrs. Mohan saw Christopher alive,” read the court documents.
Eileen called home and spoke to Chris at about 2 p.m., during which time he told her the technician was there.
“This was the last time Mrs. Mohan ever spoke with Christopher,” the admission read.
Eileen tried calling Chris again at about 4 p.m. but there was no answer. The Mohans had moved up to the 15th floor a month earlier, after living on the 14th for about a decade.
The trial of Haevischer, Le and Johnston is expected to last up to a year. Jamie Bacon is also charged in the murder of Corey Lal, but will be tried at a later date.
