Latest news with #BritishColumbia-based
India Today
3 days ago
- India Today
Pro-Khalistani gangster nabbed in global drug bust; ISI, China links emerge
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has uncovered an international drug cartel with alleged ties linking Pakistan's ISI, China, and Canada, and arrested an Indo-Canadian gangster, Opinder Singh Sian, also known as Thanos. Sian, who was arrested in June, was allegedly operating a global fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking network from Canada's British of the case have been outlined in a 29-page affidavit submitted by the DEA. The agency's investigation spanned Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai, and law enforcement had been investigating Sian since 2021-22. Then he was a known senior member of the ISI-backed 'Brothers Keepers' gang, which largely comprises foot soldiers from Punjab, many of whom hold Canadian gang has openly supported the Khalistani movement and, according to sources, has been visibly active in rallies commemorating terrorists such as Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind behind the Air India surviving at least two assassination attempts, Sian made his ascent into Canada's criminal underworld, one in 2008 that left him injured but killed his aide Gurpreet Sidh, and another in May 2011, which he also DOES THE NEW WARRANT REVEAL?A newly released arrest warrant naming Sian, which has not yet been tested in court, outlines the alleged international connections of the British Columbia-based drug warrant was issued by a California district court for Sian's arrest and alleges that he had links to organised crime groups in Canada, China, Turkey, Mexico, and Ireland, including the Kinahan cartel, which has reported connections to the terrorist group Hezbollah, according to a report in the Canadian tabloid, Toronto a Canadian citizen residing in Canada's Surrey, was taken into custody last month in US' allege he was attempting to ship methamphetamine from the US to Australia through the Port of Long Beach, near Los affidavit, sworn by DEA agent Albert Polito, points to these Canadian traffickers who are at the centre of the nation's problems with fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, which are trafficked into the US and warrant includes several serious allegations about how drugs were being moved and deals to the affidavit, methamphetamine sourced from Montreal contacts was traded in Los Angeles, aiming for further shipments to were requests for bulk cocaine purchases in Los Angeles to be distributed in Vancouver. The affidavit also states promises of large shipments of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China into the Port of Vancouver, which would then be sent to Los Angeles using a Canadian trucking much like the US, had for years borne the brunt of illegal fentanyl and other synthetic drugs being imported from China. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the issue with Beijing, calling on China to crack down on the production and export of these substances and their TO HONKONG, TURKEY: DRUG CARTEL EXPOSEDToronto is also named as a key node in the operation which Sian was a part individual allegedly managed hundreds of pounds of meth shipments through multiple ports while reporting to handlers in Hong Kong and collaborating with members of Mexico's Sinaloa entire investigation reportedly began when the DEA's field office in Turkey's capital, Ankara, received a tip about the opportunity to insert a confidential source into an international drug-trafficking lead eventually brought the agency to Sian and a sprawling operation that, according to the DEA, extended across at least four continents and eight is alleged to be a central figure in this network. In August 2023, he took the DEA's confidential source, referred to as Queen, out to lunch with his family. Queen, by then, had gained Sina's they met at a cafe with Peter Peng Zhou, who allegedly told Queen that he could provide the precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl."Zhou said that he would be getting the precursors from China in Vancouver and sending them to Los Angeles, via his trucking company," the affidavit states, further claiming that Zhou promised a shipment of 100 kilograms per media portal, Postmedia, reported that other suspects from British Columbia named in the case have not yet been formally and his associates allegedly discussed several options for providing the precursor chemicals, either by moving them through Canada or shipping them directly to the Port of Long Beach in the affidavit includes references to attempts to ship fentanyl chemicals and methods aimed at evading the charges and allegations laid out in the affidavit are proven in court, they support growing concerns raised by US officials about the role of Canadian traffickers in the fentanyl trade.- Ends advertisement
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Endgame: How Indo-Canadian 'Thanos' fell in DEA's global cartel crackdown
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has arrested Indo-Canadian gangster Opinder Singh Sian , alias Thanos, for operating a global methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking network, reported TOI, citing court records. Sian was taken into custody in Arizona on June 27 following an investigation that connected him to drug shipments to Australia and chemical smuggling for fentanyl production in the US through Canada. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Management Data Science Artificial Intelligence MBA Digital Marketing Design Thinking Product Management Data Science others Data Analytics Healthcare Leadership Project Management Finance CXO Public Policy Others Operations Management Cybersecurity Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK General Management Programme India Starts on undefined Get Details DEA probe uncovers global network The DEA began tracking Sian in 2022, launching an undercover operation after receiving intelligence from a Turkish agency. A recently unsealed affidavit submitted in a US court stated that Sian had close ties to chemical suppliers associated with the Chinese Communist Party and Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. The investigation found that Sian was previously a senior member of the Brothers Keepers gang, a British Columbia-based criminal outfit with several members of Punjabi origin. Canadian authorities have linked the gang to large-scale narcotics trafficking, weapons smuggling, murder, extortion, and robbery. The gang has also publicly supported the Khalistan movement and participated in events honouring figures such as Talwinder Singh Parmar. Ties with China, Mexico, and Hezbollah-linked network In 2023, Sian reportedly introduced a DEA undercover source, codenamed "Queen", to Chinese national Peter Peng Zhou in Vancouver. Zhou, who ran a trucking company with an Indo-Canadian partner, allegedly claimed he could import fentanyl precursors from China and deliver up to 100 kg per month to Los Angeles, as per the TOI report. Live Events Sian and the undercover agent remained in contact through the encrypted app Threema and coordinated multiple deliveries. According to the DEA, Sian conducted four methamphetamine drops — totalling over 500 pounds — in Southern California before he was arrested. The DEA further revealed that Sian's network extended to operatives in Turkey and Dubai and had links to the Kinahan crime group, which is under international scrutiny for its ties to Hezbollah. Sian's criminal record includes surviving an attack in 2008 that killed his associate Gurpreet Sidhu and another attempt on his life in 2011. These incidents marked his rapid rise in Canada's criminal ecosystem.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Court decision on sale of 25 Hudson's Bay leases delayed as buyer appears without a lawyer
Ruby Liu, the British Columbia-based billionaire who wants to buy 25 leases from Hudson's Bay Co., was in court Tuesday to face concerns that her plans for the properties are not sustainable, but the hearing was adjourned because she showed up without a lawyer to make her case. Judge Peter Osborne said he is concerned about the additional costs — $4.7 million per month — that HBC and its lenders will have to incur as a result of the delay in completing the sale, but the significance of the decision requires that she elaborate on her plans so that all parties are aware of them. 'I not only urge you, but recommend in the strongest possible terms that these parties retain counsel immediately and they be made aware of the urgency of this situation,' he said. A lawyer representing Restore Capital LLC, the HBC lender that brought forth the motion to terminate the deal between the defunct retailer and Liu, said the delay was not good. 'The purchaser is a sophisticated party … and I wouldn't think it would be possible to simply delay and increase costs by terminating a law firm,' Linc Rogers said. 'That would be a wrong incentive to provide for participants in this proceeding.' Liu said she is ready to 'hire people, create jobs' and 'open stores,' and that she would hire legal counsel as soon as possible. 'We will work closely with HBC, and we have already hired experts,' she said. 'We submitted business plans on May 1, and then continually updated the business plans. We have done tremendous work.' Ashley Taylor, a lawyer representing HBC, said there has been ongoing dialogue and work with Liu to try to answer some of the landlords' questions and inquiries. But lawyers representing the landlords didn't share Taylor's optimism. One of them said that there has been 'zero discussion' with the landlord he represents, though Liu may have had internal discussions with HBC and other lenders. Alex Hennick, who heads A.D. Hennick & Associates Inc., a law firm that provides liquidation solutions and is not part of the HBC hearing, said it was evident that the landlords don't want to lease to someone they don't have the confidence is going to be there long term. 'They don't believe that the model is going to work in the existing locations because it didn't exist for a historic retailer who was there for so many years,' he said. 'It's a very unique situation. It's not common. The reason it is being blocked is because no one really believes it could be a successful venture.' Canada's oldest department store filed for bankruptcy protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act on March 7. It has been selling its leases, intellectual property rights and artifacts since then and cut its workforce to pay back its creditors ever since. Hudson's Bay fights back against lender that wants to terminate lease sales to Ruby Liu Why the demise of Canadian retail's 'middle class' won't end with Hudson's Bay The retailer inked an agreement to sell up to 28 leases in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia to Liu's Tsawwassen, B.C.-based company, Central Walk, on May 23. An Ontario court approved the sale of three of those leases, but the remaining 25 have yet to be approved. • Email: nkarim@
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Destiny Media: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Destiny Media Technologies Inc. (DSNY) on Monday reported a loss of $72,000 in its fiscal third quarter. The Vancouver, British Columbia-based company said it had a loss of 1 cent per share. The distributor of secured pre-release music and video posted revenue of $1.1 million in the period.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rakovina Therapeutics Congratulates Partner - Variational AI for Winning LifeSciencesBC's 2025 Emerging Biotech Company of the Year Award
Award Recognition underscores the importance of AI-driven drug discovery VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. ('Rakovina' or the 'Company') (TSX-V: RKV) (FSE: 7JO0), a biopharmaceutical company advancing next-generation cancer therapies through AI-powered drug discovery proudly congratulates partner, Variational AI, on being honored as the 2025 Emerging Company of the Year – Biotech by Life Sciences BC. This prestigious award recognizes a British Columbia-based biotechnology company demonstrating exceptional progress and achievement of key strategic milestones, attributes that reflect Variational AI's impressive momentum and innovation in the field. Since entering into a partnership with Rakovina Therapeutics in September 2024, Variational AI has applied its Enki™ generative AI platform to accelerate the discovery of novel DNA damage response (DDR) kinase inhibitors. Most recently, the platform has been used to advance the KT-5000 series, the newest generation of synthetic small-molecule candidates targeting DDR pathways. This collaboration has produced multiple structurally novel compounds with favorable drug-like properties and activity in validated cancer cell lines. Early data suggest these candidates hold strong promise as brain-penetrant agents for difficult-to-treat tumors and represent a significant step forward in the Company's AI-powered discovery pipeline.'We're proud to see Variational AI recognized as Emerging Biotech Company of the Year,' said Jeffrey Bacha, Executive Chairman of Rakovina Therapeutics. 'This award highlights the transformative role of AI in drug discovery and reinforces the strength of our collaboration. Variational's Enki™ platform has helped us identify novel drug candidates with remarkable speed and precision, and we look forward to advancing these promising therapies together.'About Variational AI Variational AI has developed Enki™, the first commercially available foundation model for small-molecule drug discovery. By leveraging generative AI, Variational AI enables biopharmaceutical companies to rapidly discover and optimize novel, potent, safe, and synthesizable lead compounds at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional approaches. For more information, visit About Rakovina Therapeutics Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical research company focused on the development of innovative cancer treatments. Our work is based on unique technologies for targeting the DNA-damage response powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) using the proprietary Deep-Docking™ platform. By using AI, we can review and optimize drug candidates at a much greater pace than ever before. The Company has established a pipeline of distinctive DNA-damage response inhibitors with the goal of advancing one or more drug candidates into human clinical trials in collaboration with pharmaceutical partners. Further information may be found at Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Notice Regarding Rakovina Therapeutics Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes forward-looking statements regarding the company and its respective business, which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the proposed business plan of the company and other statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as 'plans,' 'is expected,' 'expects,' 'scheduled,' 'intends,' 'contemplates,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'proposes' or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events, or results 'may,' 'could,' 'would,' 'might,' or 'will' be taken, occur, or be achieved. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of the company. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting the company, including risks regarding the medical device industry, economic factors, regulatory factors, the equity markets generally, and risks associated with growth and competition. Although the company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated, or intended. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The reader is referred to the company's most recent filings on SEDAR for a more complete discussion of all applicable risk factors and their potential effects, copies of which may be accessed through the company's profile page at For Further Information Contact:Michelle Seltenrich, BSc MBADirector, Corporate DevelopmentIR@
