The province is looking to seize a Kelowna home and two vehicles, claiming it as proceeds and instruments of an alleged drug trafficking operation.
The B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office filed a notice of claim against Michelle Collins and Nigel Byrne earlier this week. The claim states Collins’ Dilworth Mountain home at 2308 Lillooet Crescent as well as the vehicles of each Collins and Byrne were purchased with illicit funds.
The Kelowna RCMP has been investigating Collins and Byrne for drug trafficking since March 31, 2020.
According to the claim, police noted 18 “short-duration stops consistent with drug trafficking” by both Byrne’s 2005 Infiniti G35 and Collins’ 2020 Land Rover Evoque during their investigation, which took place through most of April.
On April 29, police executed a search warrant on Collins’ home. According to the suit, they found over $27,000 in Canadian cash, 25,000 Mexican pesos and several illicit and prescription substances, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms and a number of different pills.
No criminal charges have yet been laid against either of the two.
But the Director of Civil Forfeiture claims it was the money from that alleged operation which funded the purchase of the home and two vehicles. The suit further alleges those items were used as instruments of unlawful activity, claiming the two laundered their illicit money through those purchases. Collins and Byrne are also accused in the suit of selling illicit cannabis and failing to declare taxable income.
Byrne and Collins have not filed a response to the notice of claim and none of the allegations of the Civil Forfeiture Office have been proven in court.
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