Authorities mum on seizure of prolific offender’s home in Kamloops

Police say a prolific offender in Kamloops had their home seized, but RCMP and the province won’t provide many details about the case.

Kamloops RCMP said the home was “long used to store property crime” and took the matter to BC’s Civil Forfeiture Office, according to a recent report to city council.

Who the former homeowner is or what the province’s rationale is to seize the home isn’t known, nor is the progress on the matter. RCMP deferred questions to BC’s public safety minister and a ministry spokesperson refused to comment.

The Kamloops RCMP report said the person is one of 12 people being monitored in its prolific offender program.

Half of those offenders were in custody as of April 2. RCMP said they were associated with 19 police files from January to the end of March, but only three charges were recommended by April for condition breaches.

Civil forfeiture allows the government to pursue suspected criminals through civil court. It’s a process in which lawyers have to convince a judge of criminal activity on a balance of probabilities rather than beyond a reasonable doubt.

If successful, the judge will award property to the government, including vehicles, cash and sometimes real estate. It doesn’t require a person to be criminally convicted, and it’s a process that’s been criticized in the past as overly broad and open to abuse.

Cases often arise when they’re connected to organized crime. High profile cases include the Kelowna Hells Angels clubhouse, one of three seized in BC, or the recently raided Falkland drug lab.

There’s no indication the Kamloops prolific offender is connected to organized crime.

When contacted by iNFOnews.ca, the ministry said it wouldn’t confirm if a file had been referred to them by police. It would only comment once a notice of claim is filed in BC Supreme Court. The Kamloops offender’s home may not have been brought to court yet.

If successful, a forfeited home is typically listed and sold like any other in the real estate market.

The former East Vancouver Hells Angels clubhouse was listed for more than $1.5 million in January, while the Kelowna clubhouse was sold to the City in December for an undisclosed price.