Timeline of the UN Gang: 1997–2025
- staysafevancouver
- Aug 5
- 12 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Looking for a detailed UN gang timeline? You’re in the right place.
The United Nations gang, formed in Abbotsford, BC in the late 1990s, became one of Canada’s most notorious organized crime groups. Over nearly three decades, the gang has been linked to international drug trafficking, high-profile murders, and violent turf wars with rivals like the Red Scorpions and Brothers Keepers.
In this timeline, you’ll find key dates and verified events tied to the UN gang’s formation, leadership changes and arrests based on court records, investigative journalism, and police reports.
Let’s break down the full UN gang timeline, year by year.
Timeline Of The UN Gang
Part 1: Formation and Early Years (1997–2003)
1997 – Founding of the UN Gang
May 25, 1997: The United Nations Gang is officially founded in Abbotsford, BC, by Clayton Roueche and a group of high school friends. Roueche, a white Canadian immersed in Vietnamese-Canadian culture, had ties to Asian organized crime through his Lao-Canadian girlfriend’s family.
The gang name originates at a party where someone joked, “What the fuck is this, a United Nations meeting?” in reference to the racially diverse group. The name stuck.
Founding members include James Coulter, who recalls being recruited by Roueche after meeting him at a Chilliwack rave in January 1997. Coulter began selling drugs to support his use of ecstasy and crack cocaine.
1997–1998 – Initial Smuggling Operations
Roueche begins working for a Vietnamese organized crime figure known as Vu.
UN members start trafficking BC Bud marijuana to the United States, primarily grown in the Kootenays region. By the end of 1997, the gang is exporting bulk quantities, often traded kilo-for-kilo for cocaine.
Marijuana smuggling is initially done by trucks, later shifting to airplanes and helicopters due to enhanced post‑9/11 border security.
1999–2000 – Establishing Identity
The gang rapidly grows, attracting mainly second-generation Vietnamese-, Lao-, Persian-, and East Asian-Canadians, along with some Europeans and Indigenous members.
Roueche forms a gang identity rooted in Asian mysticism, martial arts, and symbolism. Members wear clothing featuring dragons and tigers, and many get tattoos of the motto “Honor, Loyalty, Respect” in Chinese characters.
Initiation rituals involve elements modeled on Chinese triads, including walking under “The Mountain of Knives” and swearing loyalty to the 36 Oaths.
2000 – Animals Nightclub Brawl
A pivotal event occurs at Animals nightclub in Abbotsford.
A group of white Hells Angels supporters in “Support 81” shirts begin harassing Asian patrons.
A week later, a group of 30 Hells Angels and their supporters return to the club.
The UN responds with 70 members in what witnesses and police describe as a major street fight.
According to James Coulter: “There were five or six different fights happening out on the street… an Abbotsford officer gets out of his car and goes ‘There’s H.A.! There are fights everywhere!’”
The UN gang successfully repels the Hells Angels, gaining significant respect and visibility in BC’s gang scene.
2001–2003 – Dial-a-Dope & Club Warfare
UN pioneers the “dial-a-dope” system, distributing burner phone numbers for delivery drug sales.
They operate with loyal deliverymen, who rarely turn Crown’s evidence if arrested.
Smuggling becomes more sophisticated: floatplanes and helicopters regularly fly across the BC–Washington border carrying hundreds of pounds of marijuana per trip.
December 22, 2002 – Luxor Nightclub Stabbing
A brawl erupts at Luxor nightclub (formerly Animals) in Abbotsford between UN members led by James Thiphavong and Red Scorpions members led by Anton Hooites-Meursing.
Brothers BonLeuth and Souskavath Thiphavong are stabbed with broken beer bottles; BonLeuth dies in hospital.
This marks the beginning of the UN–Red Scorpions feud.
January 2003 – Murder of Edward “Skeeter” Russell
In revenge for Thiphavong’s death, the UN kills Red Scorpion member Edward “Skeeter” Russell.
An audio recording later emerges of Gupreet “Bobby” Rehal laughing about Russell’s murder, leading to retaliation.
March 13, 2003 – Murder of Bobby Rehal
Anton Hooites-Meursing and other Red Scorpions go to Rehal’s parents’ house on Saturnia Crescent, Abbotsford.
A Red Scorpion underage shooter knocks on the door. When 19-year-old Rehal answers, he’s shot in the face and later dies at Royal Columbian Hospital.
August 2, 2003 – Attempted Murder by Jing Bon Chan
UN member Jing Bon Chan, suspecting his girlfriend Christina Hyun Oh Yoon of infidelity, stabs Winston Thieu Anh Bui after finding them together in her Richmond apartment.
Thieu falls from a third-floor balcony, resulting in a coma.
Chan is arrested and charged with attempted murder and weapons possession.
Part 2: Cross-Border Smuggling and U.S. Crackdown (2004–2006)
2004 – Weapons and Drug Importation Arrest
Paul Vincent, a UN-affiliated importer, is arrested at a Calgary hotel.
Found in possession of a Bren machine gun, barrels of banned chemicals, and $585,000 in cash.
The prosecution seeks a 21-year sentence, but the trial is dismissed on a technicality related to evidence seizure.
2005 – Rapid Expansion of U.S. Smuggling Routes
March 2005
U.S. ICE agents secretly place a GPS tracker and ignition kill switch on a pickup truck used to smuggle marijuana across the U.S.-Canada border.
June 2005
Agents activate the kill switch and arrest Brian Fews and Trevor Schoutens, both Canadian UN members.
Ken Davis, a UN lieutenant in the U.S., is asked by Roueche to pay their bail. Davis complies, but this moment marks a turning point—within weeks, he begins cooperating with American law enforcement, eventually providing intelligence that helps dismantle parts of the gang’s cross-border operations.
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August 12, 2005
Alexander Swanson, a UN gang member, is arrested in Blaine, Washington, with bags full of marijuana.
September 2005
Zachary and Braydon Miraback, brothers from Calgary, are arrested in Puyallup, WA, with 1,000 pounds of marijuana packed in 23 bags.
Zachary refuses to identify himself or provide ID.
December 1, 2005
A floatplane lands in Soap Lake, WA carrying 325 pounds of marijuana.
UN gang pilot Greg Fielding is arrested by ICE.
2006 – Aerial Routes Intensify; Major Busts Follow
March 14, 2006
Another floatplane lands at Omak Lake in Washington on the Colville Indian Reservation.
Found onboard: 314 pounds of marijuana and 2,400 ecstasy pills.
UN member Kevin Haughton is arrested.
March 23, 2006
Canadians Sharmila Kumar and Shialen Varma, both of Vancouver, are arrested near Omak Lake with hockey bags full of marijuana in their SUV.
Local sheriff Frank Rogers describes UN smuggling as a “daily event” straining law enforcement resources.
April–May 2006
U.S. woman Jane Gerth finds a bag with $507,270 USD along Highway 17, likely a UN drug payment drop.
Early 2006 – Drug Courier Missions
Ken Davis, later an informant, is ordered by Roueche to deliver $500,000 USD to California to purchase 25 kg of cocaine.
Davis completes two trips:
First: $109,555 USD
Second: $118,980 USD
Roueche threatens violence if Davis is late on the third trip.
May 9, 2006 – Project Frozen Timbers Surveillance
Canadian and U.S. agents track Dustin “Princess” Haugen and Daryl Desjardins flying a helicopter across the border.
They unload five hockey bags into a pickup truck in Washington.
ICE arrests the receivers; bags contain 300 pounds of BC Bud.
September 25, 2006 – Arrest at Tieton State Airport
UN members Nicholas Kocoski and Joshua Hildebrandt are arrested in Rimrock, WA.
Kocoski's GPS device reveals that their flight originated in Chilliwack, BC, and Rimrock was a staging stop for Montana.
GPS shows Kocoski had made hundreds of prior trips.
September 27, 2006 – Cocaine Seizure in California
Daniel Leclerc, a UN member, is arrested at Yreka Rohrer Field airport, Montague, CA, en route to Chilliwack.
Found in possession of 315 pounds of cocaine.
Part 3: Sinaloa Ties, Mexico Killings & Roueche’s Arrest (2007–2008)
2007 – Hells Angels Links and Internal Crackdowns
April 4, 2007 – Arrest of Omid Bayani
Omid Bayani, a United Nations Gang member and Iranian refugee, is arrested in Abbotsford while riding with Vincenzo Sansalone, a full-patch Hells Angel from the Haney chapter. Police seize the following from Bayani’s vehicle:
a loaded .38-calibre handgun
a hunting knife
a wooden club (broken chair leg)
a machete
600 litres of GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate)
Bayani had previously served five years in prison for armed robbery. While incarcerated at Bowden and later Kent Institution, he gained a reputation for violence and provocation.
He was ordered deported to Iran but remained in Canada and joined the UN Gang. Bayani worked as a trafficker in a GHB pipeline connected to:
Mehrdad “Juicy” Bahman, Hells Angels (Toronto chapter)
Steven Gault, a police informant and Hells Angels treasurer, who later exposed the link
Bayani’s GHB business caused financial strain on the Toronto chapter after police seized Bahman’s supply.
2008 – Gang War, Murders, and International Arrests
May 8, 2008 – Murder of Duane Harvey Meyer
Duane “D.W.” Meyer, age 41, is killed in a drive-by shooting while standing on the front lawn of his home on Kipling Street in Abbotsford. Witnesses report:
two vehicles involved: a Ford F-350 truck and a Mercedes-Benz SUV
Meyer crawled to his porch before dying of blood loss
At his funeral on May 15, 2008, both UN Gang members and Hells Angels attend, wearing black-and-white hoodies with dragons.
May 9, 2008 – Mistaken-Identity Murder of Jonathan Barber
Jonathan Barber, a 23-year-old audio technician, is shot and killed while driving Jamie Bacon’s Porsche Cayenne along Kingsway. UN hit team members involved:
Barzan Tilli-Choli
Ion “Johnny K-9” Croitoru
Troy Tran
Barber was mistaken for Jamie Bacon. His girlfriend, Vicky King, driving behind him, is also shot but survives. In court, Tran testifies: “I thought it was Bacon. All white guys looked the same.”
May 17, 2008 – Arrest of Clayton Roueche
Clayton Roueche is arrested at Houston International Airport while en route to a wedding in Mexico City via El Salvador.He is charged in the U.S. with:
conspiracy to import marijuana and export cocaine
conspiracy to launder money
In December 2009, he is sentenced to 30 years in federal prison and fined $8 million. He is incarcerated at USP Florence High in Colorado.
July 12, 2008 – Murders of Ahmed Kaawach & Elliot Castaneda
Ahmed “Lou” Kaawach and Elliot “Taco” Castañeda are shot dead while eating at Tacos de Barbacoa El Cuellos on Calle Pedro Buzeta in Guadalajara, Mexico.A minivan pulls up and gunmen fire automatic rifles, killing both men at the table.
Kaawach: Lebanese-Canadian, previously deported, served as the UN Gang’s liaison with the Sinaloa Cartel.
Castañeda: Guatemalan-Canadian realtor. Owned three homes worth over $1.1 million and drove a BMW, despite limited legitimate income.
The murders are believed to be cartel-related. No arrests have been made.
Part 4: Vancouver Gang War, Red Scorpions Conflict & UN Prosecutions (2009–2012)
2009 – The UN–Red Scorpions Gang War Peaks
February 3, 2009 – Murder of Raphael Baldini
Red Scorpions member Raphael Baldini is shot dead while talking on his cell phone in a friend's SUV. His last words are reportedly “oh my God” before being gunned down in a targeted hit believed to be linked to the UN Gang.
February 6, 2009 – Murder of Kevin LeClair
Mixed martial artist and Red Scorpions associate Kevin LeClair is shot multiple times in broad daylight in the parking lot of the Marketplace IGA at Thunderbird Centre in Langley. He later dies in hospital. The hit is later tied to the UN Gang.
February 12, 2009 – Murder of Nicole Marie Alemy
Nicole Alemy, the wife of UN member Koshan Alemy, is shot and killed while driving her white Cadillac CTS in Surrey. Her four-year-old son is in the backseat but survives. The attack is believed to be a message to her husband.
February 15, 2009 – Attempted Murder of Tyler Willock
Red Scorpions member Tyler Willock is targeted in a drive-by shooting while riding in a Range Rover with Fraser Sunderland and an unidentified woman. Sunderland dies from gunshot wounds; Willock survives.
March 2009 – Arrests in the Willock Shooting
UN boss Barzan Tilli-Choli is arrested along with:
Aram Ali
Nicola Cotrell
Sarah Trebble (girlfriend of Hells Angel Larry Amero)
Tilli-Choli, Ali, and Cotrell are charged with first-degree murder. Trebble is charged as an accessory. All are released on bail, despite Tilli-Choli being under an active deportation order to Iraq.
March 31, 2009 – Murders of Ryan “Whitey” Richards and Sean “Smurf” Murphy
Both men, linked to the Red Scorpions, are killed in separate shootings on the same day. Richards is found near Yellow Barn Country Produce Market, and Murphy is discovered dead inside a car.
April 2009 – Tilli-Choli Charged in Conspiracy to Kill the Bacon Brothers
Barzan Tilli-Choli is charged, along with:
Dilun Hung
Aram Ali
Ion “Johnny K-9” Croitoru
Daniel Russell
Soroush Ansari
The group is accused of orchestrating murder attempts against Red Scorpions leaders Jonathan, Jarrod, and Jamie Bacon.
May 2009 – Murder of Sunil Mall
Former UN member Sunil Mall, who switched allegiances to the Red Scorpions after Roueche’s arrest, is found murdered in his vehicle.
November 26, 2009 – Drug Charges Against UN Leaders
UN members Douglas Vanalstine, Daryl Johnson, and Nicholas Wester are charged with multiple drug trafficking offenses. Vanalstine had taken over leadership duties following Tilli-Choli’s legal troubles.
2010–2012 – Legal Pleas and Cartel Killings
2012 – Mexican Cartel Violence Targets UN Members
January 15, 2012 – Murder of Salih Abdulaziz Sahbaz
Salih “Sal” Sahbaz, a UN member from Surrey, is murdered in Sinaloa, Mexico. His body is found with over $20,000 USD in cash in his wallet.
January 16, 2012 – Bomb Attempt on Thomas Gisby
UN member Thomas Gisby escapes an attempted car bombing at his Whistler home and flees to Mexico.
April 28, 2012 – Murder of Thomas Gisby
Gisby is shot twice from behind while standing in line at a Starbucks in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. The weapon used is a .44 Magnum revolver, a rare choice in cartel killings. After the killing, a member of the Wolfpack Alliance sends a message to Rabih “Robby” Alkhalil reading: “lol.”
June 25, 2012 – Murder of Randy Naicker
Wolfpack-affiliated Independent Soldiers leader Randy Naicker is murdered in Port Moody. Police believe the hit was retaliation by UN-affiliated figures.
Part 5: Takedowns, Informants & the Fall of the Original UN Leadership (2013–2018)
2013 – Barzan Tilli-Choli Pleads Guilty and Is Deported
Barzan Tilli-Choli pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit murder as part of a plea agreement. He had been facing multiple counts related to the murder plots targeting the Bacon brothers and associated shootings.On January 18, 2017, he is deported from Canada to the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
2013 – Ongoing Prosecutions and Testimony from Former Members
With many core members of the gang either dead, imprisoned, or deported, UN operations begin to fracture. Police note that remaining cells still operate under the name but without central leadership.A former UN member known only as “D.” due to a publication ban turns Crown witness and testifies at the trial of Cory Vallee.
2017 – Trial of Cory Vallee and Inside Testimony
At Cory Vallee’s trial, “D.” describes the gang’s internal structure in detail, revealing:
The gang had separate hit teams categorized as either “blunt instruments” or “surgical tools.”
“Blunt instruments” included figures like Barzan Tilli-Choli, Duane Meyer, Ion Croitoru, and Trevor “Fingers” Gilbert.
“Surgical tools” were precision hitmen, often recruited from Calgary’s FK (Fresh Off the Boat Killers) crew.
He states that Roueche was the “glue that kept the group together,” often organizing dinners and maintaining unity across various UN chapters.
June 2018 – Cory Vallee Convicted of First-Degree Murder
Cory Vallee is convicted in connection with:
The 2009 murder of Red Scorpions associate Kevin LeClair
A conspiracy to kill the Bacon brothers
His conviction marks a significant milestone in the long-running prosecutions stemming from the 2008–2009 Lower Mainland gang war.
Part 6: The Wolfpack Rivalry & UN Gang’s Decline (2019–2025)
2019–2021 – Fragmentation and Residual Violence
By this period, law enforcement agencies report that the United Nations Gang no longer has a centralized leadership structure. Most of its original members are either dead, in prison, deported or inactive.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) and RCMP continue to monitor individuals and small cells still operating under the UN name, many of whom are believed to act independently.
2022 – Arrest of Conor D’Monte in Puerto Rico
Conor Vincent D’Monte, one of Canada’s most wanted fugitives and a senior United Nations Gang figure, is arrested in February 2022 in Puerto Rico.He had been living under the alias “Jonathan Williams” and was operating a supposed non-profit focused on wellness and sustainability. D’Monte was wanted in connection with:
the 2009 murder of Red Scorpions associate Kevin LeClair
conspiracy to commit murder
other gang-related offenses
His arrest ends more than a decade on the run.
March 2024 – D’Monte Returned to Canada
Conor D’Monte is extradited to Canada and placed in custody at a pre-trial facility in British Columbia.He is scheduled to face multiple charges, including first-degree murder. Police indicate he had continued ties to UN-linked individuals while in hiding.
May 28, 2023 – Murder of Amarpreet “Chucky” Samra
Amarpreet Samra, also known as “Chucky,” is shot dead while exiting a wedding at the Fraserview Banquet Hall in South Vancouver around 1:30 am.
The shooting is believed to be a targeted retaliation connected to ongoing Lower Mainland gang rivalries.
2025 – Current Status of the UN Gang
Documented developments as of 2025 include:
Conor D’Monte, once one of Canada’s most wanted fugitives, is now in custody following his 2022 arrest in Puerto Rico and 2024 extradition to Canada. He is awaiting trial for the 2009 murder of Kevin LeClair and other gang-related charges.
Amarpreet “Chucky” Samra, a known UN-linked figure identified by CFSEU-BC as high-risk for gang violence, was shot dead in May 2023 while leaving a wedding in South Vancouver.
Barzan Tilli-Choli, once Roueche’s second-in-command, was deported to Iraq in 2017 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.
Multiple UN associates remain under active investigation or surveillance by CFSEU-BC. Public safety warnings continue to be issued for individuals believed to be linked to UN drug networks and targeted violence.
The Wolfpack Alliance and Brothers Keepers have overtaken the UN Gang in operational reach, with the Wolfpack now considered the dominant organized crime network in the Lower Mainland.
Despite the loss of its original leadership core, the UN Gang continues to have a presence in BC, especially in drug distribution and violent enforcement. However, it no longer holds the same territorial control or strategic influence it once did in the 2000s.
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