US Sanctions & the Chinese language Syndicate
The US authorities has imposed robust sanctions on a Vancouver-area businessman and his firms for allegedly shopping for and distributing chemical substances and gear used to provide illicit fentanyl and different artificial medication offered throughout North America.
The general public and corporations of the 28 lately sanctioned are based mostly in China. Du Changgen is the supposed chief of the ‘Chinese language Syndicate’. With individuals working beneath him have been chargeable for roughly 900 kilograms of seized fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors shipped to america and Mexico.
Du Changgen himself has personally acquired digital foreign money in alternate for shipments of fentanyl precursors. The Syndicate is the supply of provide for dozens of narcotics traffickers in america, darkish net distributors, digital foreign money cash launderers, and Mexico-based felony organizations such because the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Era Cartel (CJNG).
Bobby Shah was the one Canadian listed on the US sanctions announcement. Shah’s sanctioned firms are based mostly in a unit at 1971 Broadway St., in Port Coquitlam, which had been known as Hollywood Vape Labs beforehand.
“Valerian Labs Inc. has acquired shipments of methylamine hydrochloride, which is a precursor chemical used to provide methamphetamine and MDMA. Valerian Labs Distribution Corp. has tried to obtain 2,000 liters of chloroform, 800 liters of dichloromethane, and 200 kilograms of iodine, substances used within the manufacturing of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine.”
The OFAC additionally sanctioned and blocked a number of cryptocurrency wallets related to Shah together with ETH, XNT, USDC, and Tether addresses.
Spouse’s Latest Homicide
In accordance with her social media on Jan. 27, 2022, Ramina Shah was filming an actual property video within the morning earlier than she went again to her Coquitlam workplace.
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A brand new realtor, Shah was lively on social media and described by her colleagues as an outgoing persona – beloved by everybody. The couple had cut up someday after the raid at their house and appeared in household court docket in 2021 and 2022. Ramina started alluding to a brand new life on social media in 2021 and had begun working as an agent with Stonehaus Realty.
Early proof suggests it isn’t straight related to gangs or felony exercise. Murder detectives acknowledged that they believed it was not a random act.
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On the time of her dying, Ramina had been separated from Bobby Shah for about 8 months. In British Columbia, there is a 12-month separation requirement earlier than a divorce will be finalized. She had accused her husband of being abusive, submitting multiple police report, together with an allegation of sexual assault.
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Ramina Shah posted a cryptic message on Instagram 10 days earlier than her homicide.
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It mentioned: “Watch out on the subject of revenge.»
“Damaging vitality is a robust power and the extra you set out on the planet, the extra comes again on you. When you felt such as you have been finished incorrect the most effective factor you are able to do is simply take that vitality and focus it on bettering your self. As a result of in the long run, you solely damage your self making an attempt to harm different folks. And what a waste of vitality. You can have put that in the direction of one thing constructive in your life. I by no means want ailing on anybody. Even these making an attempt to harm me.”
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In accordance with messages that Ramina despatched to her family and friends Ramina was afraid for her life and was making an attempt to be extraordinarily cautious wherever she went. About two weeks earlier than her dying, she instructed buddies that Bobby Shah was stunned that she hadn’t dropped the sexual assault cost in opposition to him. She speculated that he will need to have thought he was going to persuade her to provide their marriage one other shot, however the information that she was transferring ahead with the assault cost infuriated him in keeping with a voice recording Ramina made.
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| The couple’s Maple Ridge house was raided in 2018. |
2018 Raids & Civil Go well with
In March 2018, RCMP searched the couple’s $2.8 million Maple Ridge house and Port Coquitlam enterprise, Hollywood Vape Labs. That enterprise has since been renamed and restructured as Valerian Labs, one of many firms lately sanctioned by the US OFAC Treasury Division.
Officers seized a number of cell telephones, and gold, silver, and diamond jewellery.
In addition they seized 4 autos together with a 2006 Pontiac G6 that had a hidden compartment allegedly hiding 2 kilograms of fentanyl, a one-kilo brick of cocaine, and chemical substances used to chop cocaine for road dealing.
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| Valerian Labs was Hollywood Vape Labs on the time of the 2018 raid. |
Police discovered «two monitoring gadgets, a hydraulic press with cocaine residue within the storage of the residence, and a suitable cocaine brick mould positioned in a backpack, hidden behind a desk at Hollywood Vape Labs.” Additionally found on the enterprise have been a number of clean checks, clean bank cards, and bank card programming machines.
Police additionally discovered a “5-gallon drum of sodium borohydride, which can be utilized as a reducing agent for managed substances comparable to Ecstasy, positioned behind stacks of containers at Hollywood Vape Labs,” B.C. civil forfeiture information say.
Each Shah and Djebelibak have been listed as defendants, together with one other particular person named Majidreza Mirhosseini.
As well as, officers discovered two axes on the property, one in all which was stored within the couple’s bed room.
In a response to the civil declare, Shah denied the allegations and mentioned the property was not used for any illegal exercise.
In April 2021 A choose agreed the couple’s constitutional rights have been violated and police strategies included a number of errors, together with illegal aerial surveillance of the couple’s house with out a warrant. The court docket additionally discovered that an unexplained failure to right away reunite the toddler baby with a father or mother, who was on the search warrant scene, was additionally a breach.
Prison Historical past
Bobby Shah had additionally confronted plenty of fraud and theft prices laid in June 2019 after a prolonged police investigation, however these prices have been later stayed.
He has plenty of convictions and prices beneath his surname Djebelibak:
Acquitted in a 2002 stabbing in Kelowna after a choose mentioned it was unimaginable to find out who was holding the knife when the opposite man was injured.
He was convicted in 2003 of utilizing counterfeit cash and was sentenced to 18 months probation.
In 2006, he was convicted of resisting a peace officer and sentenced to 7 days in jail.
In 2008, he was sentenced to 7 months for the unauthorized use of a pc.
“Between Might 2015 and January 2018 Mr. Djebelibak – utilizing varied false identities – persuaded quite a few people to money fraudulent cheques on his behalf,” the paperwork state.
He apparently requested victims to supply him with money, reward playing cards, or varied shopper items, together with jewellery, furnishings, and different home goods, in alternate for the checks, which might later be returned as “non-sufficient funds.”
In accordance with investigative YouTuber Gavin Fish concerning Shah’s spouse’s homicide, his sources accuse Bobby Shah of ordering his spouse’s dying in 2022.
Now, in 2023, Bobby Shah is being accused of doing enterprise with Chinese language precursor and drug manufacturing and processing gear firms to assist drug cartels.
These sources additionally declare Shah was a member of or related to the organized crime group The Wolfpack. The Wolfpack was an alliance between multi-national gangs, bikers, and mob figures in Canada to coordinate cocaine shipments, primarily from Mexico.
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Wolfpack Connection
Two males charged alongside Djebelibak over time, Sam Abdolhosseinzadeh and Ali Shirazi, each reportedly had ties to Metro Vancouver gangs. Shirazi was sentenced to life in jail within the Philippines in 2018 for apparently making an attempt to arrange a drug distribution community. It’s not recognized if he and Ramina Shah, who additionally glided by Ramina Shirazi, have been associated.
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| Ali Shirazi and James Riach earlier than a court docket look in Manila. |
Shirazi had been arrested within the Philippines with 4 different Canadians, in allegedly working with a Mexican Cartel that despatched them cocaine and different illicit medication. The Canadians have been working in Manila for about 7 months earlier than police raided their clandestine lab and separate luxurious residences and seized $2.25 million of cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and different medication together with Shabu, a mixture of meth and caffeine.
There was a perception on the time that intelligence experiences acknowledged that two hitmen had been dispatched to the Philipines to kill an Unbiased Soldier gang member related to the operation.
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| James Riach, an IS and Wolfpack member fled Canada for the Philipines after being focused. |
Shirazi was arrested with James Riach and Barry Espadilla who’ve been long-time members of the Unbiased Troopers gang however had extra lately been linked to The Wolfpack, a coalition made up of some IS gang members, Crimson Scorpions, and Hells Angels members.
These males left Canada after Riach was focused in a gang warfare that left Crimson Scorpion Jon Bacon lifeless and Hells Angel Larry Amero wounded. Amero has since been charged in Montreal with cocaine smuggling and stays in custody there.
Each Riach and Shirazi have been sentenced to life in jail within the Philippines. Many have been handed dying sentences for comparable crimes there as a part of that nation’s drug warfare.
Hollywood Vape & Valerian Labs
The corporate historical past seems to indicate that the corporate has advanced into being principally a chemical manufacturing and provide firm versus producing, advertising and marketing, and promoting merchandise. In 2015, the corporate opened up as Hollywood Vape Labs to provide vaping juice beneath the model Legends.
The Valerian Labs web site describes their Legends vape merchandise:
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«Our juices are made from the best flavorings that are FDA-approved and controlled. We consider {that a} premium line ought to move all its correct testing, in addition to be protected and engaging for our shoppers. At Hollywood Vape Labs we take pleasure in being the main premium vape juice that has the very best requirements in producing vapes. We’re the trade leaders within the Canadian market and attempt to broaden our premium model worldwide.»
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In 2017, Hollywood Vape Labs displayed their merchandise on the Vape Jam 3, a UK vape conference as seen in a Vice article on the vaping scene in Europe.
The Hollywood Vape Lab web site is presently down. The native WordPress Developer chargeable for designing the web site additionally since eliminated photos of that web site from their portfolio on-line.
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A number of years later, Bobby Shah’s firm expanded into bulk chemical, lab gear, and manufacturing with Valerian Labs to provide merchandise exterior of the vape trade. Valerian Labs was created in 2020 following raids and authorized points surrounding Hollywood Vape Labs and the household house. Kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl and brick presses have been discovered throughout raids on the enterprise and residential.
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The subsequent enterprise marketed was a really excessive energy-focused Vitamin complement drink known as Vitamin Energy, and different pure well being merchandise in keeping with Shah. «Practical drinks that can assist you proceed your every day routine comfortable. Unleash your energy. Serving to you’re feeling greatest is our mission.» states the Valerian Lab web site. One other product for the corporate is Silk Serenity, a silk accent line together with pillowcases, eye masks, and hair coverings.
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The corporate’s web site additionally advertises companies to promote bulk chemical substances, lab gear, and testing provides in addition to packaging and advertising and marketing companies. Additional hyperlinks to these pages presently don’t work.
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On the corporate’s web site, there’s a waiver the place prospects are to substantiate “that in buying chemical substances and different provides I’ve solely lawful functions contemplated.”
Mexican cartels and different organized crime teams typically function companies as fronts and for cash laundering wants. They will make investments and generate official earnings whereas with the ability to construct connections in these and different industries and order restricted chemical substances or lab provides. These objects are both used for their very own manufacturing of narcotics or offered off on the black market to mass producers from cartels.