Latest news with #DowntownEastside
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Vancouver drug traffickers linked to notorious Wolfpack gang sentenced
A man is handcuffed after being detained by Vancouver police officers in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Five members of a Vancouver drug-trafficking ring linked to a notorious organized crime group have been sentenced to a combined 35 years in prison, according to British Columbia's anti-gang police unit. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. says the men were trafficking drugs in the city's Downtown Eastside as part of a network linked to the Wolfpack Alliance gang. The investigation into the group's activities began in July 2020 and led to the identification of the suspects over several months. By May 2021, police had conducted search warrants at various locations around Vancouver, gathering evidence that would eventually lead to 11 charges against the five men. During the searches, investigators seized seven prohibited or restricted guns and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to a police statement when charges were approved in November 2022. Police also seized 10 kilograms of fentanyl, six kilograms of methamphetamine and three kilograms of cocaine, along with various cutting agents. Three vehicles and $160,000 in cash were also surrendered. All five suspects later pleaded guilty, according to investigators. Vinod Kanna Aruldevarajan, 28, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for drug trafficking on July 14, 2024. Co-accused Howjeen Saed, 29, and Roger Bardales Medina, 32, were sentenced to 10 years and five years in prison for drug charges, respectively, the following November. Finally in February, the remaining offenders – 32-year-old Hemen Hewa Saed and 26-year-old Diego Saed – were sentenced to nine years and six and a half years for drug-related offences, respectively. 'These convictions demonstrate CFSEU-BC's continued success in targeting and disrupting organized crime groups that pose a threat to public safety,' spokesperson Cpl. Sarbjit K. Sangha said in a statement Thursday. 'The investigation highlights the strength of inter-agency collaboration, and CFSEU-BC extends its thanks to the Vancouver Police Department's Organized Crime Section, the VPD Strike Force, and the VPD Integrated Emergency Response Team.'
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Suspect arrested after 6-hour standoff in Vancouver SRO, police say
A decal on a Vancouver police cruiser is seen in this undated photo. A man was taken into custody after a six-hour standoff at a single-room occupancy building in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside Wednesday. Officers were called to the Beacon Hotel on Hastings Street around 10:45 a.m. 'after a report that someone had pulled a gun inside the building,' the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release. 'When officers arrived, the armed suspect – a visitor to the building – had barricaded himself inside a room on the fourth floor,' the statement reads. More than 20 officers responded, including crisis negotiators and tactical officers from the Emergency Response Team, police said. Residents of the building – which provides housing for people with mental health and substance-use disorders, among other challenges – were evacuated as police attempted to negotiate with the suspect. The man was taken into custody shortly before 5 p.m., more than six hours after he barricaded himself into the room, according to police. The VPD said officers used a Taser and a beanbag shotgun during the arrest, and the suspect 'received medical attention for minor injuries.' The gun was recovered inside the suite and the investigation is ongoing, police said, adding that the suspect remains in custody.
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Arrest warrant issued for accused in axe attack who failed to show for court in Vancouver
Social Sharing A Vancouver provincial court judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of Steven Henry Hall after he failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance on Tuesday. Hall, 30, is accused of striking a stranger with a small axe earlier this month before stealing his sunglasses. He is charged with one count each of robbery and breach of probation. Vancouver police patrol officers arrested Hall on May 13 after the 50-year-old victim was found bleeding from his face near East Hastings and Main streets. Two weeks before the alleged axe attack, Hall was found guilty of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm related to an incident in October 2024. He was handed a one-year suspended sentence, according to online court records, while a second charge of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose was stayed. Records show Hall has been found guilty multiple times for breach of probation, with convictions for resisting arrest, break and enter, theft and weapons possession dating back to 2018. In 2019, CBC reported that Hall suffered injuries from a police dog after VPD officers witnessed him breaking into a house. The VPD credits "Task Force Barrage" as key in Hall's latest arrest. Task Force Barrage is a $5 million program to increase policing in the Downtown Eastside, Gastown, Chinatown and Strathcona. According to data released by the VPD, since launching in February, Task Force Barrage has seized 745 weapons, 79 guns and made 414 warrant arrests.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Real estate agent goes viral for listing a half-million-dollar condo in the Downtown Eastside
A Vancouver real estate agent went viral for creating a TikTok promoting her listing: a three-bedroom condo for $499,000 in the heart of the Downtown Eastside. As Shivani Joshi explains, she opted for transparency, which was appreciated by some in the industry but not by others online.
CBC
27-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Real estate agent goes viral for listing a half-million-dollar condo in the Downtown Eastside
A Vancouver real estate agent went viral for creating a TikTok promoting her listing: a three-bedroom condo for $499,000 in the heart of the Downtown Eastside. As Shivani Joshi explains, she opted for transparency, which was appreciated by some in the industry but not by others online.
