Commission grilling Gord Friesen about BCLC accepting frequent 200k cash buyins in $20s, and transactions up to 800k in 20s under his watch at BCLC. Friesen is a former drug unit officer.
Did you think it was proceeds of crime?
"Some well could have been, yes."
"I didn't have the authority to take action. I observed and reported." Friesen says that Mike Hiller told him that BC casinos could be facilitating money laundering, with loan sharks providing bulk cash to VIPs, and the VIPS paying back the cash in other forms then cash. But
Friesen says he is not aware BCLC had any authority to stop these transactions, during his time.
"Sir, when you get money from the bank does it come in elastic bands?"
"No," Friesen says.
"Can you conceive of any legitimate source for that quantity of $20s. Any scenario where someone would obtain $800,000 in $20s?"
"Maybe they sold a house and it is revenue from that, I don't know," Friesen says. He later says he has gotten large quantities of cash from a bank
"I have in undercover operations for drug dealing" as a Surrey drug unit officer.
@CullenInquiryBC counsel McGowan gave a sort of pause and then a curt 'Thank you' after this answer. I imagine he was thinking, thanks for proving my point, no more questions needed here.

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More from @scoopercooper

28 Oct
B.C. casino violated reporting laws after investigator warned Lottery Corp. of breach, inquiry hears | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/7426840/r…
1. “We have had some recent files where we have patrons buy in for $49,960.00 and $49,980 in $20s and we have found out through investigation (that) River Rock are not reporting these as suspicious,” Alderson’s email said.
2. “(We) feel it’s too much of a coincidence and the players must have been informed.” But Alderson’s boss didn’t want to investigate whether River Rock was helping high rollers skirt laws meant to trigger suspicious reports to @FINTRAC_Canada
Read 4 tweets
28 Oct
I'll be following @CullenInquiryBC again today. Mini-thread, this story was one that convinced the NDP to call an Inquiry - .Former B.C. casino supervisor blows whistle on when Macau-style money laundering may have exploded | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/5215614/m…
2. We have heard from two former Great Canadian surveillance Labine was right. Management allowed loan sharks to operate 'It's just friends loaning money to friends' -- and management didn't want sharks banned from the Richmond casino that preceded River Rock ('The monster')
3. The Big Circle Boys really flooded in when bet limits were raised, Labine said. And the witnesses agree. Raise the bets and the pool of loan sharks grew, and grew and grew. We have also heard hints already, of something Labine alleged. Casino staff meeting with gangsters.
Read 10 tweets
27 Oct
NEWS: Stone Lee just testified that in a meeting with his boss Terry Towns in 2012, it was explained that Great Canadian advised BCLC management -- the GCG name "Rod Baker" -- was brought up, that BCLC investigators should not question VIPs, and not go into River Rock VIP salon
2. Lee says he and Ross Alderson came out of this meeting knowing they should not interview RR VIPs. "We were deterred to even go into the VIP room, because we might intimidate patrons." He says that he heard in the meeting with Towns, GCGC had complained about investigators
Stone Lee, more on the Terry Towns meeting in 2012, after Ross Alderson challenged a high roller at River Rock, the high roller bought in for 100k in 20s, and cashed out. And then the gambler did the same thing again. So Alderson directed the cash cage to pay out VIP in 20s
Read 4 tweets
26 Oct
Lotto Corp. staff told not to intervene in suspicious cash transactions, B.C. inquiry hears | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/7422199/c…
2. The inquiry also heard that Beeksma was concerned with a February 2012 incident, when Great Canadian Gaming’s then-general manager was allegedly surveilled in connection to a suspicious transaction.
3. A review showed the unidentified River Rock Casino manager went out for dinner with a female patron and gifts were exchanged. The woman had already been observed receiving $50,000 in cash in a casino washroom from a person previously banned as a loan shark, Comm. heard
Read 5 tweets
26 Oct
Beeksma says in 2012 there was a meeting where @BCLC investigators "were directly told we were not to talk to the customers." This occurred when Ross Alderson intervened to tell River Rock management to pay back a customer in 20s rather than 100s.
There is a meeting with manager TErry Towns at BCLC head officer. "Terry spoke to us in his office, in large part on our aggressive stance on chip passing." This is April 2012. Beeksma, Alderson, and Stone Lee get called into a meeting about banning players at RRCR. "Terry let us
know we were being to aggressive. "You are not cops, stop interviewing players. Cut that shit out," Towns told Alderson and Beeksma. Beeksma says he believes GCGC was complaining they were losing big money players because he and Alderson were too aggressive.
Read 4 tweets
26 Oct
Exclusive Investigation: Suspects in alleged Markham illegal casino mansion linked to B.C. casino suspects | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/7416772/m… @CullenInquiryBC #cndpoli #onpoli #bcpoli
2. What's this all about? Open the story to see the link charts and meeting photographs, this is all about network relationships, and the business and political connections between transnational organized crime, United Front leaders, Chinese consulate officials, and Canadian pols
3. What is the United Front and how does it relate to casinos and crime? Xi calls it a 'magic weapon' and the Chinese Communist Party protects its interests by mobilizing gang leaders and tycoons, most famously in Hong Kong. The UF co-opts influencers and associations, for CCP
Read 18 tweets

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