Photo: Colin Dacre - file photo

The B.C. government is looking to seize two vehicles from a Kelowna man following a police raid in June of this year, alleging the vehicles are “proceeds and instruments of unlawful activity.”

In a civil claim filed in BC Supreme Court Wednesday, B.C.'s Director of Civil Forfeiture claims Reginald Adams – the director and president of a company called “Dirty Business Ltd.” – was arrested for drug trafficking back in June of this year.

The Director of Civil Forfeiture says Adams' 2015 Dodge Ram 1500 and 2006 BMW 750Li should be forfeited to the B.C. government, after the vehicles were seized during a police raid on June 7, 2023. While Adams is the sole owner of the BMW, Dirty Business is the registered owner of the Ram.

It's not clear what type of company Dirty Business is.

The civil claim alleges police surveilled Adams for six weeks between April and June of this year, and saw him regularly driving both vehicles. Police said they also saw him making several “short duration meets, consistent with drug trafficking.”

Officers first executed a search warrant in April at a storage unit Adams had been seen entering, and found tires from a stolen Jeep, ammunition and a stolen “electric tricycle.”

The civil claim says Adams was then pulled over by police on June 7 while he was driving the BMW and arrested for possession of property obtained by crime and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The Director of Civil Forfeiture says police searches of Adams' Eastbourne Road home and the two vehicles turned up $3,890 in cash, along with cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, hash and a Taser.

According to online court records, the BC Prosecution Service has yet to lay any criminal charges against Adams relating to either of the search warrants.

While criminal charges must be proven “beyond a reasonable doubt,” civil forfeiture matters must only be proven "on the balance of probabilities" – a lower burden of proof.

The civil claim states Adams has previous convictions for theft under $5,000 and possession of a scheduled substance, but those convictions are not listed in B.C.'s online court records.

The Director of Civil Forfeiture is now looking to seize both vehicles, along with the cash.

“By converting the proceeds of the unlawful activity into the vehicles, the vehicles were used by the defendants as instruments of unlawful activity, namely, laundering the proceeds of crime,” the Director of Civil Forfeiture states in the civil claim.

The claim notes Adams filed a Notice of Dispute to Administrative Forfeiture Proceedings back on Aug. 21. Through administrative forfeiture, the government can automatically seize property valued under $75,000, if the forfeiture is not disputed within 60 days.

Civil forfeitures on the other hand must be ruled upon through the courts. Adams has not yet filed a response to the civil forfeiture.