Two Lower Mainland men are wanted on Canada-wide warrants after being charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) announced Tuesday that Mooen Khan, 22, of Surrey and Pashminder (Jason) Boparai, 30, of Abbotsford are among four men charged through Project Territory.
Police said the project is a key element of Task Force Tourniquet, a multi-agency gang-crime investigation that has so far resulted in 209 charges against 38 individuals.
The other two men charged this week are Mustapha Ali, 28, and Nobin Malonga-Massamba, 23, both of Ottawa. They are in custody, with the same charges as Khan and Boparai, as well as firearms-related offences.
Police did not provide specifics on the incidents that led to the four men being charged, but court records indicate the conspiracy offence allegedly occurred on June 4, 2018, while the weapons offences were on June 18, 2018.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, VPD Acting Insp. Lisa Byrne said police could not reveal the target of the alleged murder conspiracy, but said the individual is “very much believed to be someone involved in the gang lifestyle.
Khan does not have a previous criminal record in B.C., according to the online provincial court database.
But Boparai has a long criminal record, dating back to 2009, that includes charges last August through Project Territory, when police said he was among those connected to the Kang/Latimer group.
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The Kang group is closely aligned with the Red Scorpions gang, specifically with Jamie Bacon and Kyle Latimer, police said at the time.
“It’s believed they share common interests in drug lines, and that they commit violence at the behest of, or for, one another,” the VPD said in a press release.
They said the Kang/Latimer group has also been in conflict with multiple groups, and their allegiances are “fluid and ever-changing.”
Bopari’s charges related to that case include commission of an offence for a criminal organization, drug trafficking, and participating in the activities of a criminal organization.
He also has prior convictions for criminal harassment, break-and-enter, assault causing bodily harm and breaching his conditions.
Khan is described as South Asian, 5′ 8″ and 170 pounds.
Boparai is described as South Asian and is confined to a wheelchair due to a medical condition that resulted in one arm not working and the amputation of one of his legs. He is 6′ 2″ when standing and about 180 pounds, Byrne said.
VPD Supt. Mike Porteous said the charges this week are part of the ongoing effort “to engage regional and national partners to combat gang crime.”
“These arrests represent the success of ongoing partnerships and cooperation at a national level, including the Ottawa Police Service, to combat this serious public safety issue.”
Task Force Tourniquet was formed in March 2017 by the VPD in response to increasing gang violence in Metro Vancouver.
It has since grown to include officers from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC), the RCMP, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), and local municipal police departments.
“Gangs and the individuals involved in associated violence operate through multiple jurisdictions and are not bound by borders,” said Supt. Paul Dadwal with CFSEU-BC.
The task force has consisted of several joint enforcement projects, which so far have resulted in the seizure of more than 170 firearms, more than 10 kilograms of fentanyl, 40 kilograms of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and more than $2 million worth of cash, jewelry, and high-end vehicles.
Anyone who sees Khan or Boparai, or who may have any information about their whereabouts, is asked to call 911 immediately. Information can also be shared anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-888-222-8477.
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