The property owner where Canada’s largest drug superlab was discovered last year says he was just the landlord.
In a notice of civil claim, Michael Driehuyzen says he purchased the property in Falkland, B.C., with savings from his employment, which is lawful hard work, and savings.
Driehuyzen says no portion of the property represents proceeds of crime and is not being used for unlawful activity.
The claim states that the RCMP violated Driehuyzen’s rights in the course of the investigation and search and seizures at the property.
“The Defendant, as landlord, did not participate or acquiesce in any unlawful activity at the Property done by his tenant or his tenant’s agents,” the claim states.
Last October, RCMP federal investigators said they had dismantled the largest drug superlab in Canadian history, which was located on that property.
Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, the RCMP’s commander of federal policing for the Pacific Region, said that several months of investigative work into a transnational organized crime group involved in the production and distribution of massive quantities of illicit drugs revealed the most sophisticated drug superlab in Canadian history.Police seized illegal firearms, synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals, he said.
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The previous weekend, Teboul said numerous enforcement actions and search warrants were executed related to the drug superlab in Falkland, B.C., and other locations in Surrey.
“As a result, investigators seized approximately half a tonne of hard drugs, including … 55 kg of fentanyl, 390 kg of methamphetamine, 35 kg of cocaine, 15 kg of MDM, and six kg of cannabis,” Teboul said.
He added that investigators seized 89 firearms, including handguns, AR-15 assault rifles and submachine guns, many of which were loaded and ready to use.
Explosive devices, ammunition, firearm silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armour and $500,000 in cash were also seized.
Driehuyzen is now fighting the provincial government’s attempt to seize the property, which has an assessed value of $938,000.
When reached at his Abbotsford home on Thursday, Driehuyzen declined to comment and told Global News to contact his lawyer. His lawyer was not available for comment.
B.C.’s director of Civil Forfeiture filed a claim against the property on Jan. 31.
Lawyer Ravi Hira K.C., who is not involved in the case, said civil forfeiture legislation came into effect due to difficulties the police were having garnering convictions, in particular, on marijuana grow operations in the country.
“What civil forfeiture provides for is seizing assets of unlawful activity,” he said. “In essence, civil forfeiture is civil law with a criminal twist.”
Hira said if someone has used something for criminal activity it can be seized even if the person has not been convicted of criminal activity.
“If you own property that you’ve rented to a third party and the third party has a fentanyl lab in your property and you’re not aware of it, and just didn’t know it was going to be used for that purpose, in other words, you’re innocent of any complicit activity in that property, you will be able to keep your property,” he added.
“However, if you are aware that it is being used for criminal activity, then your property is subject to seizure.”
The forfeiture claim also names Gaganpreet Singh Randhawa as a defendant. He is the only person facing criminal charges in the case.
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