Calgary money launderer admits to funnelling $800k to leader of organized crime syndicate

Meghan Grant · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 3:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 8

A Calgary antheral whose woman was killed successful an onslaught that near him with a gunshot coiled to the look has yet admitted to helping the person of an organized transgression syndicate launder much than $800,000.

Talal Fouani, 48, was charged successful June 2022, successful transportation with a massive, cross-border cause trafficking cognition dubbed Project Cobra, involving Mexican cartels. Police seized much than 800 kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine worthy astir $55-million successful 4 abstracted cause busts.

When Fouani pleaded blameworthy to wealth laundering successful March 2023, helium entered the plea but did not hold to immoderate facts of the crime. A condemnation was ne'er entered, marking conscionable 1 lawsuit of what Justice Greg Stirling has called an "unusual" feature of the case.

On Tuesday, Fouani agreed to the facts surrounding his transgression and an agreed connection of facts (ASF) was filed with the court. The substance tin yet proceed to sentencing later this year.

• Organized transgression wealth launderer loses bid to person charges dropped implicit delay

A full of 14 people were charged successful the Cobra investigation, with constabulary identifying 5 arsenic their "main targets": the alleged person Ricco King, arsenic good arsenic Elias Ade, Kary-Lynn Grant, Jarret Mackenzie and Abdul Akbar.

Murder 

Two months aft the organized transgression charges were laid, Fouani and his woman had conscionable gotten into their Bentley extracurricular their southwest location erstwhile Michael Arnold walked up to the driver's broadside model successful a operation vest and changeable them both. 

Nakita Baron died, Fouani was injured.

• 'Who hired you?': Crown suggests murder-for-hire successful cross-exam of accused killer

Earlier this year, Arnold was convicted of execution successful that shooting. Although prosecutors judge Fouani was the people due to the fact that of his organized transgression connections, nary coagulated links person ever been made. 

At trial, Arnold refused to reply the prosecutor's question of "who hired you?"

Co-accused charges stayed

Fouani was not a main people of the Project Cobra probe but was the archetypal to enactment connected his charges.

Seven months aft Baron was killed, Fouani pleaded blameworthy to wealth laundering. But the lawsuit has dragged connected for much than 2 years. 

Before a sentencing proceeding could instrumentality place, Fouani's archetypal lawyer filed a twelve applications, astir of which went obscurity but had the effect of delaying the case. 

Fouani yet fired that lawyer.

• Charges stayed for 5 accused successful organized transgression bust with links to Mexican cartel, murder

Eighteen months aft Fouani pleaded guilty, the Crown stayed each charges against the 5 main targets who faced the astir superior charges, including cause trafficking and importation, wealth laundering and organized transgression offences.

"The Crown stated connected the grounds that stays were owed to delays successful the proceedings successful Federal Court which were going to origin delays for the transgression trials," reads the agreed connection of facts (ASF) filed arsenic portion of Tuesday's hearing. 

Wiretaps

Earlier this year, Fouani expressed feelings of torment and injustice astatine his co-accused's dropped charges. 

"Everyone other has gotten distant with everything," Fouani said successful May. 

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) initiated the investigation, which progressive surveillance and covert interceptions, successful 2019.

Intercepted communications betwixt the main targets moved drugs from the U.S. to Canada, mounting up logistics involving handlers, motortruck drivers and trucks utilizing King's contacts and suppliers successful California, according to the ASF. 

Fouani came onto investigators' radar aft helium was observed gathering with the main targets. 

$3.5 cardinal home

The wealth laundering probe progressive surveillance, covertly entering Fouani's office and obtaining banking, financial, taxation records arsenic good arsenic FINTRAC Disclosures and forensic investigation of Fouani and his businesses.

In the agreed connection of facts, Fouani admitted to laundering wealth for King done the acquisition of a $3.5-million spot successful Niagara successful 2020.

• Police prehend waterfront home, Lamborghinis, and millions of dollars successful drugs bound for Alberta

Fouani has admitted that betwixt July 2020 and February 2021, helium funnelled astir $1.6 cardinal done his accounts to King, his concern and his realtor. 

According to Fouani, a information of the currency funnelled to King was a loan, made imaginable by the merchantability of Fouani's bitcoin wallet. 

"Fouani admits that astir $800,000 of the currency funnelled to the payment of King was not from the merchantability of bitcoin, but was currency received from Ade, connected behalf of King, to beryllium funnelled done the Fouani accounts," reads the ASF. 

"Fouani admits these transactions to beryllium wealth laundering connected behalf of King, and helium was reckless successful his cognition that the currency was apt proceeds of crime."

'We tin assist'

Fouani besides created fraudulent paperwork for King's owe brokerage claiming that the currency came from a morganatic source, according to the ASF. 

Included successful the agreed facts was a transcription of a information of intercepted communications, between, among others, Fouani, Ade and Mackenzie. 

"These gentlemen present person travel to america for a small spot of help, they've gotten into immoderate issues …we can't beryllium successful the mediate of what's astir to spell down but we tin assist," said Fouani.

"I've tried to insubstantial it up arsenic overmuch arsenic we can, with his corp of course, truthful we bash person a lawsuit if we request to prosecute a lawyer down successful Toronto."

The ASF besides includes a photograph of a container of $200,000 successful cash, sent from Fouani's cellphone. 

It came 3 weeks aft Ade was photographed handing Fouani a container successful a parking lot. 

Police besides recovered fraudulent payroll slips for August to October 2020 for Ade arsenic an worker of Fouani Investments, with a wage of $15,000 per month. 

In October 2021, constabulary besides recorded a speech that took spot successful Fouani's bureau betwixt Fouani, Ade, Mackenzie, and King, during which the 4 discussed the paperwork for a gathering task they'd invested successful together.