The British Columbia (B.C.) director of civil forfeiture is suing to retain $880,000 paid as a bond to the Canada Border Services Agency by a Delta man accused of being the multimillionaire leader of a criminal gang running casinos in Macao, according to Jason Proctor of CBC News.
British Columbia Government seeks $880,000 from Tujie Lai, who was wanted in China for multiple crimes in October 2019
According to a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday, Tujie Lai’s spouse paid the money to the CBSA in October 2019 after Lai was handed over to Canadian authorities by the U.S. Border Patrol, which claimed he had crossed the border illegally.
The court documents claim the CBSA subsequently learned Lai — who professed to be self-employed — was wanted in China for crimes including kidnapping, extortion, and leading a criminal gang.
The lawsuit claims Lai told investigators that he transferred $12 million from Macao and Hong Kong. He also still had an additional $100 million at his disposal in Canadian currency in China.
Additionally, the bond money will be returned to Lai’s spouse — Wenyi Chen — who “purports to be a homemaker.” The director of civil forfeiture claims the cash is the proceeds of crime.
Lai and Chen’s transactions at B.C. casinos “have exhibited several behaviors that are consistent with money laundering.”
Former RCMP Deputy Commissioner Peter German said more than $100 million had passed through B.C. casinos
Court documents cited B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. Lai paid $250,000 for casino chips in July 2017, redeeming a total of $610,000 in Canadian currency during the same period.
In November 2018, he also allegedly attended the River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C., “and presented two bundles of $100 bills totaling $20,000 in U.S. currency, each of which were bound with a single elastic band across the middle of the bills and generally packaged in a manner not consistent with standard banking practices,” the lawsuit says.
Lower Mainland casinos had “unwittingly served as laundromats” for the proceeds of crime. This is according to the independent report on money laundering released in 2018.
Former RCMP Deputy Commissioner Peter German said more than $100 million had passed through B.C. casinos. This method is used by organized crime groups in Asia to “clean” the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.
The report stated that one Vancouver-area casino accepted $13.5 million in $20 bills over a one-month period. German called the River Rock casino the “epicenter” of the problem.
