Former senior B.C. official says he warned then-minister Rich Coleman of suspected drug money laundering in B.C. casinos | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/7459165/f…
“He sat across from me, and Mr. Coleman opened the conversation, and said, ‘What about this money laundering?'” Vander Graaf recalled.
“And I said, ‘They are bringing it in, in $10,000 bundles.’
He says, ‘I know lot’s of people with $10,000 in their pocket.’ And I said, ‘If it’s in $20 bills with elastic bands on both ends, you better check your friends out.'”
He says, ‘I know lot’s of people with $10,000 in their pocket.’ And I said, ‘If it’s in $20 bills with elastic bands on both ends, you better check your friends out.'”
Vander Graaf said that Coleman listened, as he “explained to him the horrendous problem we were having in the casinos, with the $20 bills. That they are a problem to drug traffickers.”
According to Vander Graaf, Coleman’s deputy, Lori Wannamaker, said, “Rich, we have to do something about this.”
But nothing happened, according to Vander Graaf.
But nothing happened, according to Vander Graaf.
Vander Graaf also testified that GPEB GM Doug Scott and @BCLC CEO Graydon challenged him, why was he saying it was offshore Asian VIPs predominantly used in the large scale cash ML scheme. He felt Graydon was accusing him of racial bias, but he said it was just the ‘fact’
He added that @BCLC always referred to Asian VIPs themselves, anyway. He says he believes everyone well placed, from the casino staff to bclc staff to the government officials, knew loan sharking and money laundering was going on, and the ex cops prevalent in the industry knew
what drug money looked like. His view was you don’t have to prove it is drug money, if you accept bulk cash from loan sharks that you know are connected to gangs, you are violating the integrity of gaming. And GPEB and bclc investigations intelligence knew this, he said.
One of the last reports Vander Graaf forwarded up to his superiors, documented a $1-million transaction from a Chinese national named Kesi Wei, at River Rock Casino. The cash delivered to Wei was tied to “Paul Jin, a known loan shark associated (with) Chinese organized crime,
and also to Jin’s associate Kwok Chung Tam, the inquiry heard.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
