Convoy of racing luxury cars could be forfeited, say police

Vancouver SunAugust 31, 2011    For more photos of the impounded cars, click here

 METRO VANCOUVER -- The BC Civil Forfeiture Office will investigate the case of a convoy of 13 luxury sports cars racing along Highway 99 through Delta and Surrey on Sept. 1, the RCMP announced today.  The Civil Forfeiture Office has the power to undertake civil action in B.C. Supreme Court seeking forfeiture of assets used to engage in unlawful activity, police said.  The 13 cars, which included Maseratis, Lamborghinis and Mercedes, were impounded by police after witnesses reported they reached speeds upwards 200 km/h. The drivers face charges of driving without due consideration for others, which comes with a $196 ticket and six driver penalty points, which will trigger a $300 penalty point premium.  "After speaking to witnesses and gathering information, police determined there was not enough evidence to proceed with criminal charges," Supt. Norm Gaumont, head of Traffic Services for the RCMP in the Lower Mainland, said in a statement today. "With the criminal avenue closed to us, we decided to see if there was enough evidence to proceed civilly." RCMP provided information on the case to the Federal Integrated Proceeds of Crime Section, which evaluated the incident and referred the circumstances to the BC Civil Forfeiture Office.
Police said the recommendation was based upon the following reasons:
1. The vehicles were by definition "street racing";
2. The speeds were estimated at 200 km/h on roads designed and signposted for 90 km/h;
3. The disregard by all drivers for the motoring public;
4. The potential for catastrophic injury or death.
The 13 vehicles seized:
2007 Ferrari 599  2010 Lamborghini Gallardo  2010 Lamborghini Gallardo 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo
2009 Audi R8  2012 Nissan GT-R  2010 Nissan GT-R  2010 Nissan GT-R  2010 Maserati Turismo
2010 Maserati Turismo  2011 Mercedes SL63  2011 Mercedes SLS 2005 Aston Martin DB9

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$500,000 in proceeds of crime tofund community projects

VICTORIA – The Civil Forfeiture Crime Remediation and Crime Prevention Grant Funding Program will provide up to $500,000 to organizations across the province for grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to deliver programs that support crime prevention or crime remediation. Priorities for funding include projects that respond to identified emerging issues, such as gang prevention, combating human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Preference will also be given to projects that strengthen B.C. families and support vulnerable communities. The Victim Services and Crime Prevention Division will be accepting applications until Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. Organizations eligible to receive funding include community and youth organizations, victim service programs, violence against women programs, school districts, police departments, Aboriginal organizations, First Nations Bands and local governments.  The Civil Forfeiture Act enables the Supreme Court to order to the Province, the forfeiture of property acquired as a result of, or used to further unlawful activity. The five-year-old Civil Forfeiture Office has provided police with an additional tool to help deter unlawful activity and has seen success in every case concluded to date. Proceeds from the sale of forfeited assets go into a special account that is used, in part, to compensate victims of unlawful activity and help prevent or remedy the effects of crime. The grant application form can be found here: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/crimeprevention/grants/index.htm