A man was arrested in October north of Kamloops with over five kilograms of cocaine, three guns, and Hells Angels support materials in his truck, according to a lawsuit filed by the B.C. government.
A statement of claim against Nicolas Kostadinos Karvelis states that a 2017 Dodge Ram truck he was driving at the time should be given to the government because it was used for illegal activity.
Karvelis was driving on Highway 5 in McLure when he was stopped by the Southeast District RCMP for a road check on Oct. 17, said the lawsuit filed by the B.C. director of civil forfeiture.
The RCMP stopped the vehicle at the road check and saw illegal tobacco products inside, according to the lawsuit.
Karvelis was arrested for possession of unstamped tobacco that violated the Excise Act.
During the search, police found his passport, several kilograms of cocaine in two shopping bags, two automatic pistol rifles with altered and removed serial numbers, and a loaded 9 mm Glock pistol with its serial number intact in a black satchel.
Officers also found what they described as Hells Angels support materials, without specifying what they were.
The Hells Angels produce stickers, T-shirts, and other items with slogans indicating support for the biker gang. Proceeds from support items are used to fund defense lawyers for incarcerated Hells Angels members, according to evidence accepted by a B.C. Supreme Court judge in a long-running civil case over three HA clubhouses.
Hells Angels chapters also sell products known as ‘support wear’ or ‘support gear’ to non-members, Justice Barry Davies noted.
The civil forfeiture lawsuit also stated that Mounties searched Karvelis’s truck bed and found ammunition in two garbage bags, a magazine pouch, a balaclava, and used ammunition casings.
In total, over five kilograms of cocaine were seized, along with 148 unstamped tobacco products, night vision goggles, $1,510, and two cellphones, with one containing messages and an audio recording consistent with weapons trafficking, drug trafficking, and tobacco trafficking, the director said.
The truck should be forfeited because Karvelis used it to engage in unlawful activities, the statement of claim alleged.
The crimes include unauthorized possession of firearms, possession of a controlled substance for trafficking, and trafficking a prohibited or restricted firearm or device.
Karvelis has no criminal history in B.C., and he has not been charged, according to the online court database.
He has not yet filed a statement of defense in the case.
A search of the personal property registry shows he owns several other vehicles and has had home addresses in Abbotsford, Mission, and Chilliwack in recent years.
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