FSOC investigation from nearly a decade ago continues to haunt organized crime

B.C., Federal Serious and Organized Crime

2023-03-06 08:30 PST

File # 2014-181

A BC RCMP Federal Policing investigation into organized crime from nearly a decade ago continues to yield results.

After importing 30 Kg of cocaine on a million-dollar power yacht into BC in 2014, Joseph Thomas, and Bradley Wise of Vancouver Island were arrested by the Vancouver Island BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) Major Projects team. Following the arrests, the FSOC team launched a criminal probe into an organized crime group associated to this drug operation.
Joseph Thomas pleaded guilty to his role in the case, and was sentenced to serve 3 years and 6 months in prison. Meanwhile, Bradley Wise was later arrested in the United States for the events described below and has since been incarcerated in a U.S. prison. Although still serving his sentence in the U.S., Bradley Wise continues to be the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for his role in the case.

Over the next two years, the Vancouver Island based FSOC criminal probe continued to expand, and eventually developed into a large scale transnational organized crime investigation, spanning across multiple jurisdictions within Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and South America. Quickly growing in scale and complexity, the joint force international investigation included 12 wiretap authorizations, and over 500 other judicial authorizations necessary for gathering evidence from deep inside the sophisticated, and heavily insulated criminal network which included the decryption of previously impenetrable PGP encrypted devices.

BC RCMP FSOC received incredible cooperation in Canada from a number of agencies including the Victoria Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit-BC (CFSEU-BC), Corrections Canada and the Civil Forfeiture Office-BC.

In a remarkable demonstration of international cooperation, partners assisting the BC RCMP FSOC investigation included Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Peruvian National Police, The Peruvian Coast Guard, the Panama Express North strike force, Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, French Customs Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago Transnational Organized Crime Unit, and the Joint Inter Agency Task force South.

U.S. Coastguard Joint Interagency Task Force South assisting the RCMP by intercepting Simon Danielson and a vessel carrying 600 kg of cocaine destined for Canada

Over the next several years, the Vancouver Island based transnational organized crime investigation resulted in the disruption and dismantling of numerous criminal networks across a number of international jurisdictions. This included the additional following results from associated FSOC Major Projects enforcement actions:

A/Insp. Glen Breckon, Island District -BC RCMP FSOC Major Projects Operations Officer stated, BC RCMP FSOC Major Projects teams consist of federal law enforcement professionals who are specially trained in conducting highly complex, and long-term transnational criminal investigations. The success of this, and its associated investigations, demonstrate our steadfast commitment to aggressively pursuing organized crime networks within, and beyond our borders.

If you have information about a crime and wish to report it, you may contact your local police agency, or report it anonymously by calling BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Released by

Cpl. Arash Seyed

Media Relations Officer
Federal Serious & Organized Crime (FSOC)
14200 Green Timbers Way, Surrey, B.C. V3T 6P3
Office: 778-290-4724
Fax: 778-290-6092

Email: bcfederalmedia@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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