Opium was hidden in a gift-wrapped speaker then shipped from Germany to Canada: B.C. RCMP
A man from British Columbia was sentenced to several years behind bars following the import of opium from overseas to Canada.
The RCMP said in a news release Friday that the man was sentenced last month to three years imprisonment following his conviction.
According to Mounties, the Canadian man was sentenced at the end of April for his role in the import of two kilograms of opium.
The investigation began back in 2017, when Mounties in B.C. initiated an investigation with authorities in Germany into a transnational drug importation operation.
The investigation began with the arrest by German federal police of Hamid Nemati Shirazi, who was taken into custody on drug trafficking allegations. Following his arrest, German federal authorities said they found shipment details for a package they believed to contain opium, and reached out to the RCMP about the package, which was being shipped to Canada.
The package was meant to be sent to Coquitlam, B.C., but was intercepted in Toronto by Mounties and members of the Canada Border Services Agency, who had been tipped off and were waiting for it. The B.C. RCMP took conduct, given the intended destination.
Mounties say the package contained a speaker, inside of which the opium was hidden. Photos released by the RCMP show the box was covered in wrapping paper with a heart pattern, making it look like a gift instead of a drug shipment.
And it appears the speaker wasn't the only way opium was concealed and then shipped to Canada.
Through the investigation police identified a Canadian suspect, Hamid Modrek Najafabadi, and in a search of his home found cash and hollowed out water pumps.
According to police, these pumps were consistent with previous opium shipments that were under investigation in Germany.
Modrek Najafabadi was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking over the intercepted opium, as well as importing a controlled substance.
He was then sentenced on April 29. In addition to the prison sentence, he's been ordered to submit his DNA to authorities and prohibited from owning weapons.
Nemati Shirazi was also sentenced by a German court to 5.5 years in prison, and seizure of about $75,400 of his personal assets.
"According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the world’s major Opium producers that include Afghanistan and Myanmar have been ramping up production, with the 2021 opium harvest in Afghanistan increasing to 6,800 tons," the RCMP said in a news release about Modrek Najafabadi's sentence.
"UNODC states this could translate to flooding the global drug market with around 320 tons of pure heroin, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), further exacerbating the opioid crisis as heroin is often mixed with the more potent and deadlier synthetic opioid, fentanyl."
In B.C., teams that specialize in transnational organized crime groups are mandated to target those whose criminal activities have implications for Canada.
These investigations are complicated and take time, often involving partners both in Canada and around the world.
As for why this particular case took so long to make it through the legal system, the RCMP gave a few reasons.
There was a preliminary hearing in 2018, but the first trial, which had been scheduled for 2019, was adjourned by the defence due to health reasons.
It was meant to be back in court in February 2020, but there were health concerns again, followed by pandemic-prompted court closures.
The trial was heard in March of last year, and Modrek Najafabadi was convicted in June. Sentencing was then delayed by a change of lawyers.
Modrek Najafabadi was not in custody during that time, so he does not get any credit for pre-sentencing time served.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Rebecca Clarkson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.