United Nations (gang)
Encyclopedia
The United Nations Gang or Global United Nations Syndicate (GUNS) is a criminal gang
active in the Vancouver
, British Columbia
area. The name alludes to the various ethnic origins of the members.
in the late 1990s by a group of high-school friends from around the Fraser Valley
. What began as a loose-knit group of Abbotsford thugs linked to Asian organized crime grew quickly over the years. They began a profitable drug running enterprise involving helicopters flying across the US-Canada border trading much sought after British Columbian cannabis
for cocaine to be sold in Canada.
As a new criminal organization the group fought a number of turf wars against other gangs, such as the Independent Soldiers
, as it sought to establish itself. One of its biggest rivals was the Hells Angels
but recently the two groups have been working together as shown by the arrest of Omid Bayani, a mid level member of the gang who was arrested as part of an investigation looking at criminal actions of the Hells Angels.
, B.C. and later moved out to Abbotsford, B.C. and then on to Vancouver. Roueche had an obsession with martial arts
and worked his way onto the drug scene at a young age.
As part of an American investigation into drug trafficking on a stopover in Texas
on a flight from Mexico City
May 19 2008, Roueche was arrested for conspiring to possess cocaine, conspiring to export cocaine, conspiring to import marijuana, and conspiring to launder
money and was subsequently deported to the United States. Roueche faced up to a maximum of 220 years in prison, but he was sentenced to 30 years and $8 million in fines. He was flown to Seattle to answer to the charges. There are currently warrants out for eight other UN gang members and more are expected. Other members arrested as part of the international investigation were UN members Daryl Johnson and Douglas Vanalstine.
Jong Ca John Lee is believed to have supplied the gang with guns. On June 9 2007, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) was called to his residence due to an unanswered 911 call. Lee answered the door, and police saw what looked like firearms inside the apartment. A subsequent search revealed a dozen guns (some loaded, and some with defaced serial numbers), including automatic and semi-automatic rifles, and almost two dozen magazines of ammunition. Lee, who had no criminal record, pleaded guilty in September 2007 to all 10 charges. Lee also pleaded guilty to possession of 3.5 kilograms of ecstasy for the purposes of trafficking, 900 grams of marijuana, a Panther stun gun
, a silencer
, and three stolen Canadian passports obtained through a home invasion
. He was sentenced to five years each on two of the weapons charges and two years on each of the other charges, to be served concurrently.
The former de facto
leader of the United Nations gang was Barzan Tilli-Choli, an Iraqi immigrant responsible for a myriad of crimes, none more infamous than his conspiracy to murder the notorious Bacon brothers
(the Bacon brothers are believed to be high-ranking members of the rival Red Scorpion
Gang). Tilli-Choli's elaborate plot to murder the Bacon brothers manifested in his arrest in April of 2009.
," they have been targeted by other gangs and criminal organizations. Eldest brother Jonathan Bacon survived an attempt on his life in front of his parents' home. There have also been numerous attempts on the lives of youngest brother James. The United Nations gang is believed by police and media to be the group responsible for these attacks. The Bacons are linked up with Michael Le's Red Scorpion gang from the Lower Mainland.
Criminal gang
A criminal gang may be:* Prison gang* Street gang* gangs within organized crime* Outlaw motorcycle club...
active in the Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
area. The name alludes to the various ethnic origins of the members.
Name and Identification
All ethnic groups were encouraged to join thus the gang name, the United Nations (UN) or Global United Nations Syndicate (GUNS) They are brazen enough to carve their insignia right onto tombstones.Formation
The UN gang was formed in AbbotsfordAbbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...
in the late 1990s by a group of high-school friends from around the Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...
. What began as a loose-knit group of Abbotsford thugs linked to Asian organized crime grew quickly over the years. They began a profitable drug running enterprise involving helicopters flying across the US-Canada border trading much sought after British Columbian cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
for cocaine to be sold in Canada.
As a new criminal organization the group fought a number of turf wars against other gangs, such as the Independent Soldiers
Independent Soldiers
The Independent Soldiers, otherwise known as the IS, is one of the most well known gangs in British Columbia. The I.S consists of many nationalities with higher positions generally filled with Indo-Canadians of Punjabi descent....
, as it sought to establish itself. One of its biggest rivals was the Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
but recently the two groups have been working together as shown by the arrest of Omid Bayani, a mid level member of the gang who was arrested as part of an investigation looking at criminal actions of the Hells Angels.
Relationship with the Hells Angels
On 8 May 2008, former Hells Angels prospect and UN gang member Duane Harvey Meyer, 41 and nicknamed D.W., was killed, with the funeral held on May 15, 2008. Full members of the Hells Angels and UN gang members were at the funeral, with news stations and police agencies on hand to videotape all visitors. Whenever a United Nations member dies, he gets a special tombstone featuring the letters "UN" across it.Arrests
Before a number of its leaders were arrested the police estimated the gang had 50-100 core members in the Lower Mainland area of B.C. The alleged leader of the United Nations Gang is Clayton Roueche. Roueche grew up in ChilliwackChilliwack, British Columbia
Chilliwack is a Canadian city in the Province of British Columbia. It is a predominantly agricultural community with an estimated population of 80,000 people. Chilliwack is the second largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. The city is surrounded by mountains and...
, B.C. and later moved out to Abbotsford, B.C. and then on to Vancouver. Roueche had an obsession with martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and worked his way onto the drug scene at a young age.
As part of an American investigation into drug trafficking on a stopover in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
on a flight from Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
May 19 2008, Roueche was arrested for conspiring to possess cocaine, conspiring to export cocaine, conspiring to import marijuana, and conspiring to launder
Laundering
Laundering can refer to:*Money laundering, disguising the origin of illegally gained wealth*Policy laundering, disguising the origin of legislation*Clothes laundering, washing clothes...
money and was subsequently deported to the United States. Roueche faced up to a maximum of 220 years in prison, but he was sentenced to 30 years and $8 million in fines. He was flown to Seattle to answer to the charges. There are currently warrants out for eight other UN gang members and more are expected. Other members arrested as part of the international investigation were UN members Daryl Johnson and Douglas Vanalstine.
Jong Ca John Lee is believed to have supplied the gang with guns. On June 9 2007, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) was called to his residence due to an unanswered 911 call. Lee answered the door, and police saw what looked like firearms inside the apartment. A subsequent search revealed a dozen guns (some loaded, and some with defaced serial numbers), including automatic and semi-automatic rifles, and almost two dozen magazines of ammunition. Lee, who had no criminal record, pleaded guilty in September 2007 to all 10 charges. Lee also pleaded guilty to possession of 3.5 kilograms of ecstasy for the purposes of trafficking, 900 grams of marijuana, a Panther stun gun
Stun gun
Stun gun may refer to:*Electroshock weapon, an incapacitant weapon that momentarily disables a person with an electric shock*Directed-energy weapon, a weapon that emits energy in an aimed direction without projectile, if it causes unconsciousness...
, a silencer
Silencer
Silencer may refer to:* Muffler, a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine* Silencer , a DNA sequence capable of binding transcription regulation factors termed repressors...
, and three stolen Canadian passports obtained through a home invasion
Home invasion
Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally...
. He was sentenced to five years each on two of the weapons charges and two years on each of the other charges, to be served concurrently.
The former de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
leader of the United Nations gang was Barzan Tilli-Choli, an Iraqi immigrant responsible for a myriad of crimes, none more infamous than his conspiracy to murder the notorious Bacon brothers
Bacon Brothers (gangsters)
The Bacon Brothers, Jonathan , Jarrod and Jamie Bacon, are a trio of alleged gangsters, suspected of multiple firearms and drug trafficking charges and implicated in a rash of homicides that have occurred in the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver area...
(the Bacon brothers are believed to be high-ranking members of the rival Red Scorpion
Red Scorpions
The Red Scorpions are a gang based in British Columbia, Canada. Originally formed in a young offenders facility, they have been running “dial-a-dope lines” – in the suburbs of Vancouver since 2000...
Gang). Tilli-Choli's elaborate plot to murder the Bacon brothers manifested in his arrest in April of 2009.
Involvement in 2009 Vancouver Gang Violence
In late 2008 and early 2009, a violent gang war was brewing in the Lower Mainland area of B.C., with the UN gang believed to be playing a major role in it. Police have issued warnings to the public in regard to associating with Jonathan (Jon), Jarrod, and James (Jamie) Bacon, as well as Dennis Karbovanec. Known as the "Bacon BrothersBacon Brothers (gangsters)
The Bacon Brothers, Jonathan , Jarrod and Jamie Bacon, are a trio of alleged gangsters, suspected of multiple firearms and drug trafficking charges and implicated in a rash of homicides that have occurred in the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver area...
," they have been targeted by other gangs and criminal organizations. Eldest brother Jonathan Bacon survived an attempt on his life in front of his parents' home. There have also been numerous attempts on the lives of youngest brother James. The United Nations gang is believed by police and media to be the group responsible for these attacks. The Bacons are linked up with Michael Le's Red Scorpion gang from the Lower Mainland.