Gangster Wins $364,000 Poker Tournament Then Arrested For Surrey Six Slayings
November 25, 2009 11:22 amIn a surreal turn of events, 24 hours after winning the 2009 BC Poker Championships held in British Columbia, Canada, Sophon Sek (30) was arrested for his part in the Surrey Six slayings.
The Red Scorpion gang associate must have thought his luck was about to change for the better after he beat a field of around 800 players to win the poker tournament and top prize of $364,000.
However, his chequered past was about to catch up with him as he was arrested the following day and charged with manslaughter in connection with the Surrey Six slayings in which six victims, including two innocent bystanders were murdered. Sek is now the sixth person arrested for the killings which took place back in 2007.
Sek has links with the Canadian gang known as the Red Scorpions, who are based in British Columbia, and are identified by “RS” tattoos on their arms and necks. They were originally formed in a young offenders facility and have been running drug trafficking operations in the suburbs of Vancouver since 2000. They have also been linked to some of the bloodiest shootings in the region including the aforementioned killing of six people in a Whalley condominium in 2007.
Sophon Sek is alleged to have given the killers access to the Balmoral Tower, although it is not clear just yet whether he knew about their plans.
Commenting on Sek’s arrest, Vice-president of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, Howard Blank, said: “The RCMP has informed us it is the same person who won our tournament and the RCMP has requested that the funds be held for his winnings. So the funds have not been issued to the winner.”
Blank said he only learned what happened after Sek hadn’t returned for his cheque the day after the tournament, and the police had called him to explain what had happened.