Man charged in B.C. extortion task force investigation

The RCMP logo is seen in Surrey, B.C. on April 23, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A young man arrested during a traffic stop last summer has been charged following an investigation by B.C.’s Provincial Extortion Task Force.

Authorities said the 22-year-old was found with two loaded handguns in his vehicle when officers from the Metro Vancouver Transit Police stopped him in Surrey on Aug. 10.

The task force was launched the following month, and took over the case due to “a possible nexus to extortion-related activities,” the B.C. RCMP said in a news release Wednesday.

Months later, on June 17, prosecutors approved two counts of occupying a vehicle with a firearm present against Daljot Rehal.

In a statement, Chief Supt. Duncan Pound of the RCMP’s Lower Mainland District said the charges highlight the “effectiveness of close collaboration among policing partners.”

“By maintaining a strong presence in communities and a co-ordinated, strategic approach to intelligence sharing, we’re able to gather critical information, get guns off the streets and advance investigations,” Pound said.

It’s unclear whether investigators are still looking into potential ties to extortion activity. CTV News has asked the RCMP for more information.

Authorities said a warrant was issued to bring Rehal back into custody, and that officers found him in Abbotsford and arrested him Tuesday.