Pullover near Valemount yielded $130,000 in alleged drug money

B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Director is seeking nearly $130,000 RCMP seized during a pullover near Valemount, alleging the cash is proceeds of crime.

Two Edmonton men, Coleten Tyler Garnier and Irfan Suri Jr., are named as defendants in a notice of claim filed Monday in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.

According to the claim, on the evening of March 28, RCMP conducted a traffic stop on Highway 5 after noticing a rental car travelling above the posted speed limit. Garnier was the driver and Suri the passenger.

The two became the subject of a trafficking investigation - details on how it came about were not provided other than to say a police service dog provided a "postive identification of a controlled substance" - and a search uncovered a black bag containing bundles of cash adding up to $129,880.

"The Money was bundled or packaged in a manner not consistent with standard banking practices," the claim states.

 Garnier and Suri Jr. were arrested on suspicion of possessing proceeds of crime as well as on suspicion of trafficking.

Also noted in the claim, 10 cellphones were located in the car, a police service dog subsequently found traces of drugs on the cash and through a tracing system, serial numbers from five of the banknotes were linked to criminal offences.

The money was obtained through unlawful activity and if released to the defendants will likely be used for that purpose, the claim alleges.

Other than that, Suri Jr. has been charged with breaching a release order. Court records for B.C. show no further criminal counts against the two as of Monday. 

However, drug-related cases typically take a year to 18 months to reach the charge approval stage from the date of the arrest. Allegations for criminal matters must be proven beyond reasonable doubt to secure a conviction.

In contrast, the action brought by the director is a civil matter in which the judge relies on a lesser threshold of a balance of probabilities to decide whether or not to agree with the allegations.

None of the allegations have been tested in court and Garnier and Suri Jr. have not yet filed responses to the claim.