An alleged fentanyl dealer has become the target of the B.C. Director of Civil Forfeiture as it goes after his luxury SUV and the used car dealer that issued the lease.
In its claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court Dec. 11, the director alleges Shaun Graham Briscoe “trafficked in controlled substances” while using his 2018 Audi Q8.
In April, officers with the Vancouver Police Department found him in possession of $1,095 in cash, 40 grams of cocaine individually packed for sale, and 5.1 grams of fentanyl, also individually packaged for sale, the claim states.
The director claims the cash and vehicle are proceeds and instruments of unlawful activity.
Civil forfeiture claims contentiously lay the burden of proof on defendants when the director, on behalf of the government, claims there are reasonable grounds to believe assets are derived from criminal activity. But a criminal conviction is not required to file a claim.
The claim does not state whether Briscoe was arrested or charged with a crime. The B.C. online court registry shows a restricted file under the name Shaun Graham Briscoe.
King’s Auto Lease Ltd. in Richmond entered into a lease to own agreement with Briscoe on July 19, 2022. King’s Auto has an unspecified lien on the vehicle, according to the claim.
The director claims the used car dealer handed Briscoe a lease without verifying Briscoe had legitimate income to support the agreement.
King’s Auto either knew or ought to have known the manner in which the vehicle was to be used or was “willfully blind,” the director states.
“At all material times, King’s Auto had notice and knowledge, or ought reasonably to have had notice and knowledge, that S. Briscoe lacked legitimate sources of income to fund the lease and purchase of the vehicle, and all or alternatively some of the vehicle lease would be funded through unlawful activity,” stated the director.
The director said that if a judge does not approve the forfeiture, the vehicle may be used in the future as an instrument of crime.
Briscoe was last known to reside in Vancouver and has an unknown occupation, according to the claim.
