Pubdate: Thu, 04 Aug 2011
Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2011 Nanaimo Daily News
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608
Author: Andrea Woo, Postmedia News

JUDGE SLAMS MOUNTIE FOR BUNGLING ECSTASY PROBE

Evidence Gathered in Surrey Six Murder Case Tossed
Out

VANCOUVER -- A Provincial Court judge has lambasted an RCMP officer
charged in connection with the Surrey Six murder investigation for
botching a large drug probe with repeated Charter of Rights violations.

In a decision released Friday, Judge Paul R. Meyers tossed out all
evidence gathered by police during a 14-month ecstasy-production
investigation involving five men and three properties in Richmond,
B.C., saying Cpl. Danny Michaud, the officer in charge of the
investigation, "must accept responsibility for leading an
investigation that ignored and flaunted (sic) the Accuseds' Charter of
Rights," according to a June ruling.

Michaud is also one of four RCMP members charged in connection with
the high-profile Surrey Six murder case, in which six people were shot
dead in a Surrey highrise in October 2007.

In that case, he is charged with breach of trust, attempting to
obstruct justice and attempting to mislead Ontario Provincial Police
investigators, who were conducting the internal investigation at the
RCMP's request into allegations that one of the Surrey Six officers
had an inappropriate relationship with a witness. In the Richmond
probe, police had learned ecstasy was being mass-produced, stored and
packaged in foil bags marked "Chinese tea" at three residential
locations, then shipped to Toronto and elsewhere.

In January 2007, investigators saw two men dumping what was believed
to be ecstasy tablets and supplies. Believing the suspects had clued
in to the investigation, police moved in and arrested them.

Among his criticisms, Meyers cited police for not using an
interpreter, despite knowing the suspects spoke primarily Mandarin or
Cantonese.

After arresting two of the men at one of the residences -- one of whom
was only wearing boxers, the other just boxers and a T-shirt -- police
handcuffed them and told them to sit on the front lawn. They waited
for about 30 minutes for firefighters to arrive, at which point the
men were hosed down with cold water in an effort to decontaminate them
of any toxic chemicals present in the lab.

Meyers criticized the officers for doing so without using any privacy
screens, as neighbours looked on. The men later testified they did not
understand what was happening at the time.

Accused in the case were Tin Lik Ho, Qing Hou, Shao Wei Huang, Yi Feng
Kevin Li and Kai Lai Kyle Zhou. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.