Winnipeg bagel shop owner was trafficking drugs, depositing cash into business, court filing alleges | 24CA News

One of the house owners of a Winnipeg bagel store was a high-ranking member of a drug trafficking community that moved cocaine and MDMA into Manitoba and distributed it throughout the province, a court docket submitting alleges.

Chris Silva, who owns Hudson Bagels, was charged on Dec. 14 with trafficking, possession for the needs of trafficking and possession of property or the proceeds of property obtained by drug-related crime valued over $5,000.

The incidents outlined within the court docket submitting embody one the place a Gucci model present bag containing $45,000 in money was allegedly handed over to Silva, and one other wherein he is accused of utilizing an alias to ship $90,000 in money to an deal with in British Columbia.

The crimes Silva is charged with are alleged to have occurred between Sept. 13 and Dec. 14, court docket information present.

Hudson Bagels, a small white store with a vibrant yellow door and a black-and-white striped awning on Sherbrook Street, in Winnipeg’s West Broadway space, opened through the pandemic in November 2020.

The provincial authorities is now searching for to grab cash from financial institution accounts linked to Silva, his accomplice and co-owner and to their business, alleging Silva made two money deposits of $10,000 or extra this 12 months into an account below the bagel store’s identify.

Silva additionally made three giant money deposits in a span of 4 hours right into a joint account he shares along with his accomplice, in response to the assertion of declare the director of felony property forfeiture filed in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench on Dec. 13.

Silva’s accomplice has not been charged with any crimes. The fees in opposition to Silva haven’t been confirmed in court docket. Neither responded to requests for remark. 

Manitoba legislation permits the federal government to grab belongings which are the proceeds of against the law or have been used to commit one, even when the particular person concerned hasn’t been convicted of against the law.

The submitting alleges the funds within the financial institution accounts are the proceeds of crime and have been both used or meant for use to purchase medication to site visitors, which in flip was doubtless or meant to end in revenue.

The bagel store additionally had plans to increase with a web site at The Forks, in response to a spokesperson, roughly two years after opening its Sherbrook Street location.

In an e mail, the spokesperson for The Forks mentioned they’re conscious of the costs in opposition to one of many co-owners of Hudson Bagels.

“We are reviewing this new information and its impact on the planned second location of Hudson Bagels at The Forks Market,” the e-mail reads.

$1 million price of cocaine

The fees stem from a police investigation dubbed Project Onyx that started in August 2021, the court docket submitting mentioned.

During that investigation, police used undercover officers, manufacturing orders, warrants and surveillance — together with direct bodily surveillance of Silva — the submitting mentioned.

The court docket submitting additionally alleges police noticed someplace round $1 million price of cocaine being dealt with, saved and/or distributed by members of the community.

It particulars a number of incidents the place Silva was allegedly seen being given drug cash by one other member of the community. 

Those vary in date from July to December. In three of the incidents, Silva was allegedly given the money in the identical Southdale purchasing centre car parking zone, the submitting mentioned.

Police obtained a warrant in a kind of incidents to covertly discover and examine a Gucci model present bag that may later allegedly be turned over to Silva. It contained $45,000 in money, the submitting mentioned.

In one other incident, the submitting alleges Silva obtained the money within the car parking zone of a restaurant on St. Mary’s Road. He then allegedly went to his Sherbrook Street bagel store for about 45 minutes earlier than leaving to satisfy in his automobile with an unknown particular person.

After that, the court docket submitting alleges he went to the Purolator on Sargent Avenue and organized to ship a package deal to an deal with in Langley, B.C., below the identify M. Glass.

Police intercepted that package deal with a warrant and covertly searched it, and the discovering states they discovered $90,000 in money. 

That cash “was not bundled or packaged in a manner consistent with standard banking practices” however “was bundled and packaged in a manner consistent with high-level drug trafficking and proceeds of unlawful activity,” the court docket submitting mentioned.

Silva, his accomplice, the bagel store and their financial institution are all listed as defendants within the assertion of declare.

‘Chaos’ throughout police raid: upstairs neighbour

The individuals who dwell in a set above the store say they have been awoken one morning final week by loud banging on their door — a separate entrance from the store’s — as police raided their constructing.

Brodie Hovanessian and Katie MacDonald mentioned they thought they have been listening to a burglar attempting to get in round 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 14.

“We went out and there [were] probably six to eight police officers … with assault rifles,” MacDonald mentioned, including they needed to open the door to their suite for police as a result of the officers had damaged it.

The suite has no entry to the store, Hovanessian mentioned.

When police obtained inside, they mentioned they have been on the lookout for cocaine, mentioned MacDonald.

Neither noticed a warrant through the time police have been of their suite and mentioned they did not assume to ask for one.

“It was just chaos,” Hovanessian mentioned.

“There’s a bunch of things we could have done, but it’s really challenging when you’re in a complete panic, you’ve just woken up, you have assault rifles pointed at you and people are yelling at you … to calmly go, ‘OK, please show me the warrant.'”

When requested on the weekend whether or not the suite was searched in error, Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Jay Murray mentioned the raid was a part of an investigation however wouldn’t present additional particulars.

“I can tell you there was no error, and it was part of an extensive ongoing investigation.”

A news launch is probably going coming, “but I have nothing to share at this time,” Murray mentioned in an e mail.

On Thursday, police mentioned they nonetheless had no particulars to supply, citing an ongoing investigation.