UN gang leader Clay Roueche's phone conversations implicate his father in drug trafficking
Convicted United Nations gang leader Clay Roueche says in a bugged conversation that his own father was also involved in drug trafficking for years, according to tapes and documents filed in U.S. District Court.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit-B.C. says in court documents that a series of wiretap intercepts between November 2007 and Roueche’s arrest on May 17, 2008 demonstrate Rupert Roueche, now 66, was making drug deals with his son and others.
The Vancouver Sun obtained hours of police intercepts and supporting documentation filed in a Seattle court for Roueche’s sentencing hearing on drug conspiracy charges Wednesday.
A bug in the house of Roueche associate Mauro Massimo Zuzolo captured the UN boss making a comment on Feb. 7, 2008 about his dad’s involvement.
Roueche chatted casually about years earlier when he and his associates were selling “1,000 pounds a week” of pot.
“They had three f---ing rental houses and we would come in with garbage bags full of this s--- and they would be counting and weighing and bagging and tagging and looking and giving prices and I had all my weed guys because they were all from the valley. I knew every grower in the country,” Roueche boasted on the wiretap. “It was so bad that I had people going to my parents’ door and f----ing trying to give my dad pictures and s---. Like what the f---! Then my dad started hustling, too.”
Rupert Roueche refused to comment Sunday on the allegations of drug trafficking levelled by police in the court documents.
“Well, you are just wasting your time talking to me, ma’am,” he said.
Told about the court papers in which police claim the senior Roueche was also in the drug trade, Rupert responded: “Oh well then goodbye,” and hung up the phone.
In a second call to attempt to get a comment about the allegations, Roueche said:
“What is your problem, ma’am? I have nothing to say to you. I have no use for you and I don’t want to talk to you.”
He hung up again.
Last year, Rupert Roueche told The Sun that his son was being persecuted by police in both B.C. and Washington state.
“They are after one guy, and that is Clay, my son.”
Roueche swore repeatedly when talking about Canadian investigators.
He also claimed in the interview last year not to even know what the UN gang was.
“I don’t know anything about [the UN]. It depends — who is the gang? Who’s the gang?”
But on wiretaps, one man, who is unidentified, called Rupert Roueche on April 2, 2008. While waiting for Roueche senior to answer his phone, the man said to a second man “His kid is the head of the UK — or the UN.”
“Oh yeah,” said the second man.
The second man agreed that he had met Clay Roueche once before “at the house.”
“Yeah, he picked up that stuff from China, the boxes,” the intercepts said.
Police allege in court documents that nine intercepted calls between Dec. 4 and 8, 2007 “are in reference to a possible controlled substance deal, which involved Clay Roueche, Rupert Roueche, Wayne Salon,” a man believed to be Tyler Phillips and Zuzolo.
None of those named by police have been charged in connection with the allegations.
The court documents say a phone registered to Salon, a friend of Roueche senior, called Zuzolo, Roueche’s friend, on Dec. 4, 2007 and said that he was coming into town regarding “roughly 30-plus.”
On Dec. 8, 2007, Zuzolo got a text message from Salon’s phone that said: “30+.”
A few hours later, another man, who called himself “Ty,” called Zuzolo from a phone registered to a Tyler Phillips and said “Wayne” ran into trouble, so don’t call him. Salon had been detained by police looking for the marijuana, the documents say, adding that no marijuana was found.
On Jan. 12, a man police believed to be Phillips called Zuzolo, saying he would be in town on Jan. 18. Police watched Phillips leave Salon’s house with another vehicle. The two vehicles were later stopped by police, who found 36 pounds of marijuana and arrested the three, though no one was charged.
After the arrests and seizure, Roueche and his dad and Salon had several conversations which police say make cryptic references to the deal.
“Is everything all right?” Rupert Roueche asked his son.
“I don’t know, I’ll check,” Roueche responded.
In a second call, he told his dad that “those guys weren’t into doing anything right now.”
“Okay, I’ll leave it with you,” the elder Roueche replied.
Later that night, Roueche spoke to a man police identified as Salon and asked, “do you want me to hook you up with another buddy to help you out or what?”
The other man said he already had the “buddy’s” number from Roueche’s dad.
“I don’t want to say [the number] on this phone,” Roueche said. “My dad will be giving it to me on a different phone.”
He tells the other man to text instead of calling.
The next day the man who police say is Salon texted Roueche: “Your buddy might [be] being watched. B careful.”
Subsequent texts refer to “heat all over me.”
In both February and April of 2008, bugged telephone calls that police say are between Roueche and his father make reference to “100 skis” being for sale, “which is believed to be a reference to drugs,” the documents say.
In an April 4 call, Roueche’s mom Shirley told her son “the guys are coming at six o’clock to pick up the skis.”
Roueche told his mom he wanted the skis delivered to him instead because he didn’t have time to drive to their place.
On Jan. 18, 2008, police intercepted a call in which a man identified in court documents as Roueche’s dad is worried a newspaper article might be referring to his son.
“You still got your Lincoln?” the elder man asked, referring to Roueche’s bulletproof Navigator.
“You know what it had in the paper? A 32-year-old gangster loses armoured car.”
Roueche assured his dad he still had the vehicle.
“I didn’t mention it to anybody else. I just saw it in there.... It wasn’t you? F---, coincidental, eh?” the man identified as Rupert Roueche said.
Roueche said it was “bull----” that police could take someone’s vehicle just because it was armoured.
Rupert Roueche runs a car-crushing business, which he and wife Shirley claimed in court documents “grosses over a million dollars in revenues” annually.
While the U.S. Attorney is asking for a 30-year-sentence for Roueche, his lawyer Todd Maybrown just filed submissions claiming that a 15- to 20-year-sentence would be more appropriate.
“Mr. Roueche is approaching middle age. He has now begun to learn from the mistakes he has already made in his life. Mr. Roueche no longer wants to live in an armoured car or as a man with a target on his back. He dreams of the day that he will be free from custody and back with his loving family and children.”
kbolan@vancouversun.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments always welcome!