UPDATE: 5 men charged in 6 high-profile murders dating back to 2008

CALGARY- Calgary Police have laid murder charges against five men, following an in-depth, five-year investigation into the deaths of six people.

The men are all known to police, and are alleged to have been involved in a rivalry between two organized crime groups- FOB and FK- responsible for multiple murders and violent incidents since 2000.

Investigators dubbed their investigation ‘Desino’, and focused on homicides dating back to 2008. In 2012, several officers were dedicated to the case, which also relied on help from more than a dozen law enforcement agencies across the country.

“Gang violence transcends borders and has become a nationwide issue, with gang members criss-crossing the country,” said Insp. Cliff O’Brien with the Calgary Police Service. “These investigations are complex, they take a long time, they’re costly and historically they’re difficult to solve because we need not just evidence but witness cooperation, and we typically don’t get that.”

Desino focused on three cases:

Case #1:

Around 6 p.m., on Aug. 9, 2008, Kevin Steven Anaya, 21, was walking up to a home in the 1000 block of Marcombe Drive N.E., when he was shot by the occupants of a passing vehicle. The occupants then got out of the vehicle, walked up to Anaya and the shooting continued, before they fled the area. He died at the scene.

CHARGED:

• Nicholas Cypui Chan, 35, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and instructing a criminal organization.

• Timothy Matthew Chan, 32, is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He remains at large and his whereabouts are unknown. He is known to have connections to Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto.

• Nathan Lawrence Zuccherato, 26, is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

• Dustin Duke Darby, 30, is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Case #2:

At approximately 3:50 a.m., on Oct. 26, 2008, Tina Kong and Kevin Ses, along with two friends were at the Food Inn East restaurant in the 4100 block of Marlborough Drive N.E., when two gunmen burst in and shooting began at their table. The pair was killed in the shooting, while the two others were severely injured. Ses was a loose associate of a gang member, while Kong had no connection to illegal activity.

CHARGED:

• Nathan Lawrence Zuccherato, 26, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

• Van Thoai Luc, 25, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Case #3:

At approximately, 3:50 p.m., on Jan. 1, 2009, three men walked in to Bolsa Restaurant in the 100 block of 94 Avenue S.E., and began shooting at the occupants of a particular table. Two of the men at the table, Sanjeev Mann and Aaron Bendle were shot and killed. Innocent bystander Ken’i Su’a was gunned down as he tried to run from the violence.

CHARGED:

Four people have already been charged in connection the Bolsa murders. Two are awaiting retrial, one is appealing and the other is currently serving a sentence in connection with this crime.

In addition:

• Nicholas Cypui CHAN, 35, is charged with first-degree murder.

• Dustin Duke DARBY, 30, is charged with first-degree murder, accessory after the fact, and participation in a criminal organization.

Police say that along with laying of multiple first-degree murder charges, for the first time in their history they have laid charges of Instructing a Criminal Organization and Participating in a Criminal Organization against two of the accused.

In a news conference on Thursday night, police revealed that Nicholas Chan was arrested in downtown Calgary on Thursday afternoon, and Van Thoai Loc was arrested in Burnaby.

Police add that on average, a gang-related homicide investigation can cost several million dollars, and have not yet tallied the cost of Desino.