An Osoyoos man involved in of one of the largest drug busts in recent B.C. history has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine.
Kevin Van Kalkeren, 47, will be sentenced on March 18.
The trial for accused drug traffickers and Kelowna-based Hells Angels’ David Giles and Brian Oldham, as well as biker gang associates Michael Read, James Howard and Shawn Womacks, started Monday in Vancouver.
Three other accused in the case – Murray Trekofski, Orhan Saydam and Van Kalkeren – have pleaded guilty to some of the charges filed after they were arrested in 2012 following an RCMP sting operation targeting the Hells Angels chapter in Kelowna.
In July of 2013, Van Kalkeren was denied bail in the B.C. Supreme Court. Justice Gregory Bowden denied Van Kalkeren his release following a two-day bail hearing.
Bowden’s reasons, as well as submissions at the bail hearing, were covered by a publication ban.
However, that publication ban was lifted last Friday after it was revealed all five men now on trial had opted to have their case heard by a judge alone, meaning no jury would be selected.
Details of the huge 2012 undercover police investigation were revealed Friday through numerous media reports.
Court documents revealed the RCMP arranged a “reverse sting sale of 500 kilograms of cocaine for $14.8 million dollars.”
RCMP undercover officers obtained approximately $4 million in cash in exchange for 200 kilograms of cocaine during a series of meetings with the principal conspirators.
Three of the Hells Angels associates – Trekofski, Saydam and Van Kalkeren – have all pleaded guilty over the past few months, but details of those proceedings were covered by the publication ban that has now been lifted.
Giles, Oldham, Read, Howard and Womacks announced last Friday they have opted to have their case heard by a judge alone, which led to B.C. Supreme Court Justice Carol Ross to reverse the publication bans on the earlier proceedings.
Federal Crown prosecutor Chris Greenwood has severed the criminal organization charges, meaning Monday’s trial will only be on the drug charges all five accused are facing.
The criminal organization charges will be tried at a later date.
Saydam, who pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking in 2014, has admitted he provided counter-surveillance during the delivery of 200 kilograms of cocaine to a Burnaby warehouse on Aug. 25, 2012.
He was given a three-year penitentiary sentence.
Trekofski, a lifelong friend of Saydam’s, also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a loaded prohibited firearm.
He was sentenced to an eight-year penitentiary term.
Media reports said Trekofski rented the warehouse where the cocaine was to be stored after delivery and recruited a team of workers who would provide security for the site, but he was not one of the principal conspirators or involved in negotiating the huge drug deal.
Trekofski was caught by police carrying a Glock 9 mm pistol loaded with 10 rounds.
According to court documents, between January and June of 2012, undercover police officers met with Giles and Van Kalkeren in Vancouver, Montreal, Mexico City and Panama City as the officers posed as a Miami-based South American drug trafficking organization.
Media reports state Giles and Van Kalkeren met with undercover officers at a Vancouver hotel and handed over $2 million as a down payment for the 200 kilograms of cocaine.
Two weeks later, Van Kalkeren and Howard met with undercover officers at a Vancouver restaurant and a deal was made to purchase the final 300 kilograms of cocaine at a price of $10.8 million.
On Aug. 25, court documents reveal Van Kalkeren and Giles met with undercover officers once again at a casino in Burnaby, where they planned the cocaine exchange.
While Van Kalkeren and Giles were at the casino, police delivered 190 kilograms of fake cocaine and one kilogram of the real thing to the warehouse.
Van Kalkeren and Giles were arrested at the casino, while Howard, Trekofski, Womacks and Saydam were arrested near the warehouse.
According to a report in the Vancouver Sun on Monday, federal prosecutor Greenwood laid out his case against the five accused in a trial that is expected to last several months.
Greenwood said intercepted conservations and surveillance of meetings held in Vancouver, Montreal and Panama would prove that Van Kalkeren and Giles were responsible for organizing the huge drug deal, said the Sun.
“Kevin Van Kalkeren and David Giles were the principal negotiators and each of them brought different things to the table,” said Greenwood in his opening statement to the judge. “Mr. Van Kalkeren provided the money for the down payment, as well as his experience in the drug trade. Mr. Giles lent his name to the deal, including the fact he was a Hells Angel.”
Van Kalkeren has remained in custody, along with Giles, since their arrest on Aug. 25, 2012 after a 21-month undercover RCMP investigation dubbed E-Predicate.
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Osoyoos Times
