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(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

The province of BC is aiming to keep possession of a Kelowna man's two vehicles and cash believed to be proceeds of crime after a weeks-long surveillance operation.

A Kelowna RCMP investigation started in April when a man brought a stolen Jeep to Kelowna man Reginald Adams so Adams could take the tires for his own truck, according to a notice of claim in BC Supreme Court.

Those tires were found in a storage unit just days later, but the investigation continued and police eventually seized drugs and score sheets in Adams' home after tracking him for weeks, according to the claim.

Adams has not yet been charged with any crimes from this event.

The BC Director of Civil Forfeiture filed the claim on Sept. 20 against Adams and his company Dirty Business Ltd., aiming to keep his 2015 Dodge Ram 1500, 2006 BMW 750 Li and $3,890 in cash.

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Adams used the vehicles for "unlawful activity" and the cash was earned by illegal means as well, the Civil Forfeiture Office alleges.

His "activity" includes allegations of drug trafficking, theft and both laundering and possessing the proceeds of crime, according to the claim. 

An "associate" of Adams stole the Jeep Grand Cherokee on April 25 and the tires were spotted in the bed of Adams' truck that same day. RCMP then followed Adams to a storage unit, which they searched three days later, according to the claim.

Kelowna RCMP found the four tires, a box of ammunition, various identification cards and building passes, a stolen electric tricycle and a Norco mountain bike, according to the civil forfeiture claim.

Although they searched the storage unit on April 28, police continued to surveil Adams until June 7, when they arrested him for drug possession and trafficking during a traffic stop, according to the claim.

Police then searched his Rutland home, his truck and his car that day, where they uncovered more drugs, cash and score sheets or records of drug transactions.

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In total, RCMP found $3,890 in cash, 140 grams of cocaine, 52 grams of meth, 58 grams of hash, and smaller amounts of both heroin and fentanyl, according to the civil forfeiture office claim. They also seized a taser and an iPhone.

While the BMW seized is solely owned by Adams, he owns the Ram through his company, Dirty Business Ltd. The company is separately named as a defendant. It's not clear exactly what industry Dirty Business is involved in.

Adams hasn't been criminally charged in relation to the Kelowna RCMP investigation, according to court records. The Civil Forfeiture Office, however, exists separately from police to seize property used for or obtained through crime. It uses police evidence to set out its case in civil court.

None of its claims have been proven in court so far, and while Adams can challenge the Civil Forfeiture Office's efforts to seize his vehicles, he has not yet responded in court.

Kelowna RCMP said criminal investigations into Adams and the stolen Jeep are still ongoing. They have not yet been forwarded to the BC Prosecution Service.

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