An alleged member of the UN Gang wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for conspiracy to commit murder has turned himself in to police.
Dilun Heng was wanted for allegedly conspiring to murder brothers James, Jarrod and Jonathan Bacon and their associates from the rival Red Scorpions gang. While at large, Heng was described as potentially armed and dangerous.
He was taken into custody by Vancouver Provincial Court Sheriffs shortly after noon Wednesday.
Heng was the last person to be arrested after police announced similar charges against eight UN Gang members and associates last week.
Crown prosecutors announced on Tuesday that they would proceed by direct indictment against the eight: Barzan Tilli-Choli, Karwan Saed, Aram Ali, Soroush Ansari, Dilun Heng, Daniel Russell, Yong Sung John Lee and John William Croitoru. The men face one count each of conspiracy to commit murder.
Police say the Red Scorpions had been feuding with the UN Gang in a struggle to control a shrinking but still lucrative supply of illegal drugs coming north into Canada.
There have been about two dozen fatal shootings in the Metro Vancouver area so far this year. Police have called them gang-related.
It's the second time in a week the Crown has opted for direct indictment in a major gang case.
It's also being used against alleged Red Scorpions James Bacon, Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston, charged with murder in the 2007 killing of six people in a suburban Surrey apartment.
Four of the victims had suspected gang ties but two were bystanders caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
MacKenzie gave no reasons for using direct indictment.
"We don't discuss specifics," he said in an interview Tuesday.
He pointed to Crown counsel policy guidelines for using the procedure.
The guidelines include the danger of physical or psychological harm to witnesses, logistical problems or complexity that might create delays that go against the public interest, the need to protect an informant's identity or the security of ongoing police investigations.
Even without a preliminary hearing, evidence must still be disclosed to the defence and could face challenges at pre-trial hearings before an actual trial begins.
MacKenzie said the decision to use direct indictment in the two cases does not signal a policy for all major gang files.
"Each one is decided on a case-by-case basis," he said.
The Crown's application must be approved by B.C.'s deputy attorney general, MacKenzie added.
With files by The Canadian Press
