Pubdate: Thu, 11 May 2006 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Kim Bolan, Vancouver Sun TRAFFICKER GETS 11-YEAR SENTENCE Tony Terezakis 'Capitalized' On Others' Misery, Videotaped His Assaults Of Drug Users A B.C. Supreme Court judge sentenced drug trafficker Tony Terezakis to more than 11 years in jail Wednesday for preying on "the most vulnerable people in our city." Justice Heather Holmes gave the long-term criminal 71/2 years for his role in a heroin and cocaine trafficking ring that fed the addicts of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and another four years for brutal, prolonged assaults, including three with weapons, on some of those addicts. But Holmes also gave Terezakis 51/2 years credit for the 33 months he has been in pre-trial custody, meaning he could apply for day parole in just two years. Holmes accepted that he has tried to turn his life around while in jail, helping other inmates study the Bible and teaching about the dangers of crystal meth. "Mr. Terezakis has a very deep religious commitment," Holmes noted. When his trial opened two months ago, the 46-year-old Hells Angels associate, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to traffic drugs. He was then convicted by a jury last month in a series of assaults captured on video. Terezakis, who had a fresh Mohawk haircut for his sentencing, turned to supporters and said "God bless you" before being led away by sheriffs. Holmes accepted the prosecution argument that Terezakis headed a "very organized" drug ring, with layers of employees that operated out of the American and Cobalt hotels on the edge of the Downtown Eastside. She said the operation was designed to profit off the city's worst addicts and to beat and threaten any of them who interfered with the operation. Thirteen hours of videotaped beatings and interrogations were part of the evidence against Terezakis. The videotape showed Terezakis -- dressed in black leather jacket, gloves and wraparound sunglasses, with a religious cross on a chain around his neck -- confronting people at the American and Cobalt hotels on Main Street. He tried to explain the tapes as the pilot for a reality-based movie he was making about the Downtown Eastside, but Holmes said the jury rejected that claim and decided that none of those seen being struck, kicked, slapped and bloodied had consented to the assaults. "They found the assaults to have been committed in support of Mr. Terezakis' drug business," she said. "I find that their very character amounts to an aggravating factor." Holmes said Terezakis had "enormous psychological and physical control" over the addicts from whom he was profiting, and she accepted the argument of prosecutor Peter Hogg that Terezakis "was capitalizing on the misery of others." Police first uncovered the drug ring when they were investigating five 1995 drug-related murders. A two-year investigation dubbed Project Ecru led to the charges against Terezakis, including the first under new, federal, organized-crime legislation. Holmes threw that charge out during the trial, calling it unconstitutional. RCMP Chief Supt. Bob Paulson, who headed the investigation, said Wednesday he was pleased with the sentence. "He is a dangerous, dangerous guy," said Paulson, a biker expert who is now stationed in Ottawa. "He is probably the middle management of organized crime on the West Coast there. He delivers the service unfortunately." Paulson said there were other things uncovered by investigators that weren't part of the trial, such as Terezakis taking people to polygraph exams and making collections for the Hells Angels. "He has certainly done work for the Hells Angels," Paulson said. "But he is not an exclusive devotee of the Hells Angels." Paulson praised Hogg and his colleague, Judith Kliewer, for their years of devotion to the case. Hogg said: "the sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence." Terezakis' lawyer Pamela Smith-Gander said she had not had time to meet with her client, but appreciated that Holmes noted the positive accomplishments in his life. "Madame Justice Holmes took a lot of time and a lot of effort in crafting what she thought was an appropriate sentence," Smith-Gander said. Holmes said Terezakis was from a close-knit Greek family. Two brothers suffered early drug-related deaths within the last three years, Holmes said. Prior to the latest charges against him, Terezakis was convicted of marijuana trafficking and carrying a prohibited weapon. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek