James Riach escaped the murder of gang ally Jonathan Bacon in Kelowna in 2011.
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On October 12, 2021, the Court of Appeals of the Republic of the Philippines rejected an appeal from the sentence of former independent soldier James Clayton Riach, who was part of the Wolf Pack gang alliance, and accomplice Ali Shirazi, who is also Canadian. . Among other things, Riach had questioned how the evidence in the case was handled.
Riach and Shirazi were arrested at their Manila rental apartment in January 2014, after being in the country for three months. In the apartment, police found more than $ 2.5 million worth of ecstasy and shabu, a local pill containing methamphetamine and caffeine.
The Canadians were also ordered to pay a fine of $ 12,000 and were released on bail. Riach and Shirazi were taken back into custody prior to their sentencing in March 2018.
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Riach has a criminal record in Canada. He was convicted in 2010 of the possession and careless storage of a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic Glock pistol found under a mattress in his luxurious Yaletown condo.
But he was cleared of more serious weapons charges after an arsenal of weapons was found in the apartment.
Riach was also in a vehicle with Red Scorpion gangster Jonathan Bacon and Hells Angel Larry Amero when he was sprayed by gunfire in Kelowna in August 2011. Bacon was killed and Amero was seriously injured. Two women in the car were also injured. Riach escaped unscathed.
Three men linked to the United Nations gang were convicted in Kelowna in April 2018 in connection with the shooting and are now in jail.
According to the Canada website of Global Affairs Canada, there is no Criminal Transfer Treaty between Canada and the Philippines. Where such treaties exist, Canadians imprisoned abroad can apply to serve all or part of their sentence in Canada closer to their families.
– with files from Kim Bolan
Reference-vancouversun.com