B.C. gang bought planes to smuggle drugs: court

B.C. gang bought planes to smuggle drugs: court

By: ctvbc.ca

Date: Thursday Aug. 7, 2008 6:06 PM PT


New details have surfaced about Clayton Roueche and his notorious B.C. gang's alleged operations, including allegations it bought planes to transport drugs as far away as Australia.

According to an indictment filed in a Seattle court, gang members spent $350,000 to buy two aircraft that were then used to smuggle hundreds of kilograms of cocaine across the Canada-U.S. border.

"It was all part of the conspiracy that Clay Roueche, who founded the UN Gang in May 1997, used his organization, its members and associates in obtaining, possessing, transporting, distributing, and attempting to distribute cocaine," the indictment says.

"As part of the conspiracy the cocaine was possessed for distribution and was distributed in Canada, Australia, and elsewhere," it says.

Roueche, who appeared Thursday in a Seattle courtroom, pleaded not guilty to the drug-related charges he faces, and also pleaded guilty to a new firearms charge.

The gang leader faced other legal challenges as he is no longer represented by his lawyer, Irwin H. Schwartz, on the grounds Schwartz didn't want to risk being paid with drug money.

"Although he and Mr. Roueche's family expect that they will be able to demonstrate that their funds are free of any "taint," that has not yet been accomplished," wrote Schwartz in a filing on August 4, 2008.

Now, saying he is without telephone access to call a new lawyer, Roueche has asked to be represented by public counsel for a court-ascribed fee.

But according to his sworn affidavit, Roueche won't fill out the forms to make such a request because he's worried that anything he says about his hundreds of thousands of dollars of assets could be used against him in court.

"Anything I say about income or assets now could be used against me in a prosecution alleging false statements," he wrote.

A U.S. Federal Court judge ruled that a lawyer would be appointed for him, but that he had to pay $1,000 per month towards his legal costs.

Roueche was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas on a stopover in May. He now faces five drug-related charges.

Police say the UN gang is responsible for many of the shootings in the Lower Mainland, yet there have been few arrests in Canada.

If Roueche is found guilty, and given maximum penalty, he could be sentenced for up to 220 years in jail and be handed $8 million in fines.


With a report from CTV British Columbia's Michele Brunoro

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