BC wants Kulwant Bal, an alleged member of a criminal organization, to forfeit more than $6 million in real estate in the Okanagan because it was bought using the proceeds of drug trafficking and fraud. The properties include Bal’s residence at 6938 L&A Rd. in Vernon, his business at 3410 Highway 97 N. in Kelowna, three condos and an acreage, forfeited as the proceeds of crime. Bal owns Empire Motors, a company that sells used cars. The civil lawsuit was filed Feb. 9 and names Bal, his spouse Catherine Bal, Darshan Kaur Bal and Jaskaran Singh Sidhu, refers to police searches done during the Alberta investigation in June 2022.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files

KELOWNA – The BC government is going after six properties owned by accused Indo-Canadian drug trafficker.

BC wants Kulwant Bal, an alleged member of a criminal organization, to forfeit more than $6 million in real estate in the Okanagan because it was bought using the proceeds of drug trafficking and fraud.

The director of civil forfeiture filed the lawsuit Friday against Kelowna-based Bal, who the statement of claim alleges is “a member of a criminal organization, the full particulars of which are not known to the plaintiff,” reported Postmedia.

BC government lawsuit says Bal, who has previously been associated to people in both the Wolfpack gang alliance and the Hells Angels, should have the six properties Bal owns seized as part of BC’s proceeds of crime laws.

The properties include Bal’s residence at 6938 L&A Rd. in Vernon, his business at 3410 Highway 97 N. in Kelowna, three condos and an acreage, forfeited as the proceeds of crime.

Bal owns Empire Motors, a company that sells used cars.

Postmedia reported that last summer, Bal, Kelowna’s Gary Dhami and four others were charged with trafficking and conspiracy in Lloydminster, Alberta after a lengthy interprovincial investigation headed by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team.

The civil lawsuit was filed Feb. 9 and names Bal, his spouse Catherine Bal, Darshan Kaur Bal and Jaskaran Singh Sidhu, refers to police searches done during the Alberta investigation in June 2022.

The court documents also refer to a fraud scheme in which Kulwant Bal allegedly submitted false documents to Sidhu, then an employee of the Valley First Credit Union in Kelowna, to get mortgages, reported Postmedia..

Kelowna RCMP began a fraud investigation into Sidhu in January 2021, the lawsuit said.

“Sidhu submitted the false documents as part of applications for mortgages on behalf of K. Bal or other individuals. K. Bal was approved for mortgages as a result of the applications,” the director alleged, adding that Bal paid Sidhu at least $47,150 between Feb. 14 and Oct. 1, 2020 for securing the mortgages.

In the spring of 2021, Lloydminster RCMP began investigating a local dial-a-dope ring and suspected that Kulwant Bal was a supplier to the drug line.

Undercover police officers purchased about a total of about 1.75 kilograms of cocaine in Kelowna from Bal or his associate “Gary” in four transactions in late 2021 and the spring of 2022, the lawsuit said, reported Postmedia.

“On or about May 6, 2022, K. Bal agreed to launder $25,000 for the UCO (undercover officer.) On May 13, 2022, the UCO attended the Highway 97 N property and exchanged $25,000 in cash for two cheques totalling just over $25,000 neither of which were from K. Bal or K. Bal’s business.”

Bal was arrested on June 1, 2022.

The BC lawsuit also wants funds held in bank accounts linked to Bal, his wife and Sidhu forfeited to the government. No statement of defence has been filed, reported Postmedia.