Published on: September 19, 2024, 07:00h.
Last updated on: September 19, 2024, 07:02h.
Authorities in British Columbia have filed to seize C$880K (US$650k) from a suspected triad member accused of laundering money through Canadian casinos, as reported by CBC.
Tujie Lai allegedly amassed a fortune through Macau’s junket industry, with warrants in mainland China for offenses such as kidnapping, extortion, and leading a criminal organization.
Accounts suggest that in 2018, he frequented the River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C., displaying behavior indicative of money laundering, according to B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
Bundles of Currency
Court filings reveal that Lai purchased $250K in casino chips in July 2017, subsequently cashing out $610K in Canadian currency during the same time frame.
In November 2018, he exchanged $20K in US dollars, consisting of two bundles of $100 bills, for chips at River Rock. These bundles were fastened with elastic bands, a practice not typical of standard banking procedures, as cited in the documents.
By December 2019, he arrived at River Rock with C$9.9K in 12 bundles of $20 and $50 bills, once again bound with elastic bands. Given that the reporting threshold for cash transactions at casinos was $10K, this raised significant concerns about money laundering, according to B.C. authorities.
During that period, River Rock was at the epicenter of a money laundering crisis in British Columbia, which grew into a nationwide scandal in Canada. Starting around 2010, lax supervision at the province’s casinos enabled criminal groups with ties to the drug trade to launder hundreds of millions through VIP rooms.
Underground banks would lend substantial sums to Chinese high rollers for gambling, aiding them in bypassing money movement restrictions in China. These funds, often commingled with illicit proceeds, were then converted into casino chips and cleansed.
Border Crossing
In October 2019, Lai attempted an illegal border crossing between the US and Canada, subsequently fleeing from US Border Patrol back into Canada on foot, according to US authorities. He was later apprehended by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and returned to US custody before being transferred back to the CBSA.
According to a BC Supreme Court filing on Tuesday, Lai’s wife surrendered the requested funds to CBSA in October 2019 to secure her husband’s release.
At that time, Lai was subject to an Interpol red notice, facing allegations of extortion, assault, conspiracy, and perjury.