Persian Organized Crime in Vancouver

About 200 criminals in Greater Vancouver’s Iranian community are involved in activities such as drug trafficking and fraud, according to testimony given at an immigration hearing by a North Vancouver RCMP specialist in Persian crime. Const. Mohammed Beyhaghi was testifying at a detention hearing two years ago for Massoud Boroumand, who was released from jail earlier this month despite a trafficking conviction and a deportation order. Beyhaghi said Boroumand was involved in one of the Iranian community's main crime groups. Transcripts of Beyhaghi's September 2003 testimony were obtained by The Vancouver Sun. Beyhaghi told immigration board member Irene Dicaire that Boroumand belongs to a group with 20 to 30 members engaged in drug trafficking, telemarketing fraud, robbery and contract killing. Boroumand was said to be involved in transporting drugs in vehicles he brought from back east to B.C. for resale. The group has tentacles across Canada, Beyhaghi said. He named several key associates, some of whom were on the list of people Boroumand was ordered to stay away from upon his most recent release from jail two weeks ago. Boroumand was arrested again August 5 of this year after RCMP secretly photographed him on June 24 meeting with Omid Tahvili in contravention of one of his release conditions. But Dicaire ruled Aug. 11 that the RCMP photos did not prove Boroumand was involved in crime with Tahvili despite the meeting being just days after an alleged abduction for which Tahvili is charged. As a result, Boroumand was released from custody again even though he spent seven years hiding in Vancouver after being ordered out of Canada 10 years ago.
Taken from www.yorku.ca