As far as capers go, this one is a doozy. With lots of unexpected twists. A bold and mind-boggling
escape from prison by a notorious gangland figure in Canada; cut free by two accomplices dressed as
a work crew and fleeing to parts unknown — just as a jury was about to finish hearing
the murder case against him. He didn't only leave his lawyer, judge, and jury in the lurch
Also waiting in court in vain for him to arrive was his co-accused, a notorious member of the
Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. The Mob Reporter here with news of the shocking prison break
of Rabih "Robby" Alkhalil, who is just 35 years old but in that time he's earned enough ink, both from
newspapers and police blotters, for a dozen men twice his age. Let me tell you about it
First the prison break. The escape is hard to fathom
By that I mean it's hard to imagine how it actually worked, but worked it did — like a charm
On July 21, 2022, two men dressed as contractors arrived to the North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre
in Port Coquitlam. That's a 30-minute drive from Vancouver on Canada's west coast. They
apparently said they were there to fix the air conditioning. That's a good bluff because there's
a heat wave in the area. Authorities haven't said too much about how Alkhalil got from his cell to
the jail exterior, where he emerged wearing black coveralls with high visibility reflective stripes
That garb would blend in well with a work crew and I'm sure that was the point. To help them out
they used a plasma torch, an intense electric arc that can easily cut through metal, and the three
men then hustled off of prison property in this white Ford Econoline van. The van took off at
6:48 p.m. but more than 40 minutes passed before anyone raised an alarm. The RCMP, Canada's federal
police, said they weren't notified of Alkhalil's breakout until 7:30 p.m. Three hours after that the
embarrassing news with a plea for the public's help was released. By then it was probably too late
This was well planned and exquisitely executed. And being an international fugitive is familiar
territory for Alkhalil. He arrived back in Canada to face trial after being extradited from Greece
On Friday morning, police said these two men were the accomplices who sprung Alkhalil. By afternoon
investigators said they were pretty sure who they were. They were described as Americans. But
wait. Are those ID photos real? Well it seems not. At least one is identical to a stock photo available
for purchase online for 36 dollars from iStock, a leading photo sales source. Here's the sales site
So, breaking news: police are looking for a "serious 30-something man posing looking at the camera"
Or maybe they're looking for Henry Ward from Australia who graciously provided a glowing online
testimonial for this fast-track loan company using the same stock photo. By Saturday night
the RCMP got back to me confirming both photos used on the ID of the two accomplices were indeed
fakes. While they "bore a close resemblance" to the men they were looking, for these photos are not
actually them. Nevertheless, police were issuing a Canada-wide arrest warrant and seeking an Interpol
Red Notice for all of them. Said police: "It appears that there is a strong international
connection that crosses Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia." For Alkhalil, there would be
nothing less. If there was anyone in that jail who deserved special attention it was Alkhalil
A trial is underway in Vancouver for the 2012 murder of Indo-Canadian gangster Sandip Duhre. He
was shot dead in a busy restaurant. Police at the time called it a "public execution." He was embroiled
in long-standing gangland feuds in the area. Alkhalil pleaded not guilty to first-degree
murder in Duhre's killing and not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder of a Duhre associate
Larry Amero, a prominent Hells Angels member, is his co-accused. Amero has pleaded not guilty to
conspiracy to commit murder. Their trial has been underway for a year now and was set to
resume Friday with closing arguments. Instead of Alkhalil and Amero appearing in the prisoner's dock
there was only Amero. My Vancouver colleague Kim Bolan was in the courtroom when the judge broke
this touchy news to the jury. Quote: "By now some or all of you will have heard that Mr. Alkhalil
has absconded," the judge said, according to Kim. "The trial will continue in the absence of Mr. Alkhalil"
The judge then reminded jurors that both men were innocent until proven guilty and told them they
must not pay any attention to any media accounts of the case. So we must assume none are watching
Jurors, however, have already heard that the shooting of Duhre allegedly stemmed from another
gangland murder the year before, that of notorious gangster Jonathan Bacon, one of the so-called Bacon
Brothers. Alkhalil's co-accused, Amero, was the driver of a Porsche Cayenne, alongside Jonathan Bacon in
2011, when it was showered with bullets in Kelowna, British Columbia. Amero was seriously injured
Court also heard that Alkhalil and Amero were described as members of a group calling
themselves the Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack Alliance, in other cases, caused a sensation in organized crime
circles in Canada. The Wolf Pack were underworld disruptors. They shook things up everywhere they
went with big ideas and bold actions. Members were a part of gangland mayhem across Canada
from the west coast to Toronto, Ottawa, and French-speaking Montreal. In many ways, the Wolf
Pack is allegedly the modern face of organized crime. It was a consortium of multi-ethnic, young
technologically savvy, and aggressively confident members. They seemed comfortable making any
hierarchy uncomfortable, grabbing a seat at almost any table whether it's with the Italian Mafia, the
Hells Angels, street gangs or cartels. Now back to Robbie Alkhalil. He's the youngest of five sons in a
family that arrived in Canada from Saudi Arabia as refugees in 1990, although their family roots
are believed to be in Iran. They settled in Surrey, British Columbia. After two of his older brothers
were killed in gangland violence the Alkhalil family moved east, settling in Ottawa and Montreal
We can talk more of them after the trial. Meantime, the court case plans to move ahead and police are
increasingly desperate: "...Police say he is dangerous and believe he may be trying to flee overseas..."
"...Alkhalil is very dangerous and we are asking people not to approach and to call 9-1-1 immediately..."
Government officials, meanwhile, are promising an investigation into how such a figure was
able to walk away under the noses of the guards. On a previous escape from the same institution
it was corruption that made it happen. A jail guard was promised $50,000 to escort
a prisoner dressed like a janitor through the jail and out the front doors to freedom in 2007
That prisoner, an Iranian-Canadian gangster named Omid Tavili, escaped before he could
be extradited to California. That guard, on the other hand, didn't ever get his money but he did
get prison time. He was sentenced to three years. Now such a root cause behind this new escape
has to be considered here as well, until it can be ruled out. I'll be keeping an eye on this one
Thanks for watching and please subscribe