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13 Nov, 4 tweets, 2 min read
1. I’ll be talking to @CKNW today. This is the bottom line Canadians must understand. By 2010 to 2012, senior investigators in the RCMP, B.C. Gaming enforcement branch, and @BCLC warned massive drug money laundering by China based gangs was using BC casinos and ‘VIPs’ to transfer
2. and convert warehoused $20 bills, making the cash piles vanish into casino vaults, with the wealth ultimately banked back in China, through repayments from VIPs to the lenders and collectors — loan sharks. Many of the VIPs were loan shark gang bosses themselves.
3. The evidence led so far, is that everyone with power over gaming in BC casinos, up to and including minister Rich Coleman and his deputy ministers, was warned, knew, and allowed it to continue. This evidence has been challenged.
4. What is clear though, is the 2018 Peter German report didn’t uncover these extremely serious allegations. @JohnHua and I kept digging because we were aware of some of them.

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More from @scoopercooper

Sam Cooper Profile picture
13 Nov
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.'”
Read 10 tweets
Sam Cooper Profile picture
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
Sam Cooper Profile picture
28 Oct
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
Read 8 tweets
Sam Cooper Profile picture
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
Sam Cooper Profile picture
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
Sam Cooper Profile picture
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

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