The victim of Abbotsford’s latest homicide was identified last year in court documents as an alleged “crime boss” who was believed to be smuggling cocaine into Canada from the U.S.
Karmjit “Jazzy” Sran, 43, was shot dead Friday night at around 8 p.m. in the 2700 block of Lucern Crescent in Abbotsford.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) released his name Sunday night, and said Sran was known to police and that the shooting had “all the hallmarks of a targeted hit.”
The Abbotsford News reported in July 2019 that Sran had applied to the courts to be released from prison while he awaited a hearing on whether he should be extradited to the U.S. to face charges there for conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.
Sran had been in prison since April 24, 2019, but the courts denied him interim release the following month. There are no court documents indicating when, or why, he was later released from prison.
RELATED: Alleged Abbotsford crime boss loses bid for jail release while awaiting extradition hearing
Sran was arrested following an undercover investigation that started after a truck driver was arrested in November 2013 at the Sumas, Wash. border crossing when 19 kilograms of cocaine was found in his vehicle.
That man, who later became a cooperating witness with U.S. investigators, stated that he had intended to smuggle the drugs into Canada. The truck driver said he was working for two organizations, one of which had a boss he knew as “Jazzy,” the ruling states.
Sran, who worked in the construction industry, went by the names Jazzy or Jessi.
The witness offered to introduce Jazzy to a Homeland Security agent who was working undercover as a drug trafficker.
According to court documents, that officer and Sran had four face-to-face meetings in February and March 2014, when they discussed the purchase and smuggling of cocaine into Canada from the U.S.
During that time, three transactions took place involving supposed cocaine in the amounts of 19, 12 and 10 kilograms with a total street value of around $2 million.
But unknown to Sran, the product consisted of both sham and actual cocaine, according to the documents.
The documents state that Sran entered the U.S. on Nov. 12, 2013 and Feb. 28, 2014. During the transactions, he referred to himself as “the boss.”
The U.S. requested the extradition of Sran, and the courts issued an extradition warrant in April 2019, at which time he was arrested.
During the hearing to seek Sran’s interim release, his lawyer argued that there was no evidence that Sran had been involved in any criminal activity since 2014.
However, the judge denied his released, saying she believed that Sran had access to “large sums of money” and posed a flight risk.
Prior to his arrest, Sran was living in a home in Abbotsford with his mother, wife and four-year-old son.
Investigators are asking for dash-cam video from drivers who travelled along the following routes in Abbotsford between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the evening of Friday, July 10:
• Taylor Road between Mount Lehman Road and Ross Road
• Ross Road to 56 Avenue
• 56 Avenue (becomes 58 Avenue) to the 264 Street exit in Langley
Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT information line at 1-877-551- IHIT (4448), or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
