A pair of cousins have been sentenced to years in prison each after convictions on Vancouver drug trafficking conspiracy charges.
“The drugs being dispersed by the offenders at bar were illicit, addictive and very often life threatening,” Justice David Crossin said in a newly released Feb. 18 decision.
“Of particular note is fentanyl, a pernicious drug, and a particular scourge in British Columbia,” the judge said.
Hemen Saed and Diego Saed both pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court to conspiracy to traffic in a variety of drugs with each other and with others in an organization.
They also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, Crossin said.
The judge denounced their behaviour.
“The offenders knowingly and with calculation, in the course of their trafficking activities, were delivering a death warrant to certain consumers,” he said.
The offences took place between December 2020 and May 2021, according to the ruling.
The judge said Hemen Saed’s brother Howjeen Saed was the leader of the organization and provided direction in all manner of tasks relating to the conspiracy in drug trafficking while Hemen Saed “was also a senior member of the organization in the sense that he was the only other member with influence and authority within the organization.”
Crossin said a police investigation began around 2020 as a result of the police coming to the view that a Mr. Mohammed was in fact heading an organization operating a drug trafficking regime in and around Vancouver.
Crossin said drugs being sold by the organization included heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and carfentanil.
“Mr. Mohammed was murdered part way through the investigation and it is in approximately January 2021 that Mr. Howjeen Saed is said to have stepped into the shoes of Mr. Mohammed,” Crossin said.
The operation generated multi-ounce sales daily, said the ruling.
“For instance, the evidence reveals approximately $50,000 worth of fentanyl was distributed daily,” the judge wrote.
The Crown had sought a sentence of 12 years’ incarceration for Hemen Saed and eight years for Diego Saed.
Crossin sentenced Hemen Saed to nine years’ incarceration on each charge to be served concurrently.
Diego Saed was sentenced on both counts of 6.5 years’ incarceration to be served concurrently. With credit for time already spent in custody, his remaining sentence is 1,797 days.
The investigation
Court documents filed Nov. 23, 2022 in Surrey by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) alleged Howjeen Saed, from Jan. 8 to May 31, 2021, was part of a group that instructed others to traffic in carfentanil, fentanyl, methamphetamine and/or cocaine in Vancouver.
They and others are allegedly associated with the Wolfpack criminal gang and were allegedly involved in the drug trade in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, CFSEU-BC said.
An investigation into the situation began in July 2020.
As a result, a number of suspects were identified. Between October 2020 and May 2021, multiple search warrants were executed on residences at various Vancouver locations.
Seized during the investigation were seven prohibited and restricted firearms with over 1,000 rounds of ammunition; 10 kilograms of fentanyl; three kilograms of cocaine; six kilograms of methamphetamine; 72 kilograms of cutting agents, including phenacetin and caffeine; $160,000 cash; and three vehicles.
“This lengthy and complex investigation resulted in significant seizures of potentially deadly drugs and serious charges against those who take advantage of the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Assistant Commissioner Manny Mann, CFSEU-BC chief officer.
“Our mandate and ability to investigate anywhere across the province allows us to target gang members and groups who impact public safety in multiple communities," Mann said.
"The Wolfpack has been at the centre of violence and drug trafficking for over two decades, and we will continue to aggressively pursue them.”
