The Greeks was a criminal organization based in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. The organization was involved in the illegal drug trade in the Okanagan region and became the subject of a major criminal investigation following several killings in the Vernon area in 2004 and 2005.
The organization was led by Peter Manolakos, who was identified in court and by the Law Society of British Columbia as the acknowledged leader of the Greeks. The organization was involved in the trafficking of illegal drugs, including cocaine and heroin.
Organization and activities
The Greeks operated primarily in Vernon and the surrounding Okanagan region. Evidence presented at trial described the organization as having a structured drug-trafficking operation and individuals responsible for distributing drugs and enforcing the organization's interests.
The Law Society of British Columbia later described the Greeks as a criminal organization involved in trafficking illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin. It identified Manolakos as the organization's acknowledged leader.
According to evidence presented during the criminal proceedings, violence was used to enforce discipline within the organization and to protect its drug-trafficking activities.
Murders
The organization became the subject of a major police investigation after three men connected to the Vernon drug trade were killed between 2004 and 2005. The victims were David Marnuik, Thomas Bryce and Ronald Thom.
Five men associated with the Greeks were eventually convicted for their roles in the killings.
David Marnuik
David Marnuik was killed in July 2004.
Evidence presented at the trial indicated that Marnuik had worked as a street-level drug distributor for the Greeks. Prosecutors alleged that he was killed after disappearing with money and drugs belonging to the organization.
Marnuik was fatally beaten at a makeshift headquarters of the Greeks in Vernon. Peter Manolakos was subsequently convicted of manslaughter in connection with his death.
Thomas Bryce
Thomas Bryce was killed in November 2004 following a dispute connected to the Vernon drug trade.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Bryce was beaten with a baseball bat and stomped at a beach near Vernon. He later died in hospital.
Members of the Greeks were convicted for their roles in Bryce's killing.
Ronald Thom
Ronald Thom was shot and killed in Vernon on 31 May 2005.
According to evidence presented at trial, members of the Greeks believed that Thom was providing information to police. A witness testified that Manolakos ordered Thom's killing because of this belief.
Manolakos was convicted of first-degree murder for Thom's death.
Investigation and arrests
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigated the killings and the activities of the Greeks as part of a major organized-crime investigation in the Okanagan.
The investigation ultimately led to the prosecution of five men associated with the organization: Peter Manolakos, Dale Sipes, Leslie Podolski, Sheldon O'Donnell and Douglas Brownell.
Two other men had previously pleaded guilty to murder-related offences in 2007 and were sentenced to prison.
Criminal trial
The criminal trial began in May 2011 in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
The proceedings lasted approximately 19 months and were described at the time as the longest jury trial in British Columbia. The jury heard evidence concerning the three Vernon-area killings and the activities of the Greeks.
More than 100 Crown witnesses testified during the trial. After approximately 19 months of evidence and 11 days of deliberations, the jury returned its verdicts in November 2012.
The five defendants were convicted for their respective roles in the three killings.
Convictions
Peter Manolakos was convicted of one count of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter. Leslie Podolski was convicted of one count of murder, while Sheldon O'Donnell was convicted of three counts of murder. Dale Sipes and Douglas Brownell were also convicted of offences arising from the killings.
Manolakos received a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years for the first-degree murder conviction.
Peter Manolakos
Peter Manolakos was the acknowledged leader of the Greeks. The organization was involved in drug trafficking in the Vernon area and used violence against people within or around its criminal activities.
Manolakos was convicted in November 2012 of the first-degree murder of Ronald Thom and the manslaughter of David Marnuik.
At sentencing, prosecutors argued that the killing of Marnuik represented the use of violence to maintain control over the organization's drug operation, while Thom's killing was connected to the belief that he was cooperating with police.
William Mastop
The Greeks also became notable because of the criminal conviction of Vernon lawyer William Jacob Mastop.
Mastop had represented Manolakos and was described by the Law Society of British Columbia as having assisted the criminal organization. He pleaded guilty in December 2012 to participating in or contributing to the activity of a criminal organization for the purpose of facilitating an indictable offence.
The Law Society's disciplinary record stated that Mastop provided Manolakos with an Information to Obtain, a document used by police to obtain a search warrant. The document contained sensitive information concerning a police investigation and could potentially have exposed the identity of a confidential informant. Police also intercepted more than 300 conversations between Mastop and members of the Greeks during the murder investigation.
See also
Drug trafficking Vernon, British Columbia Okanagan Royal Canadian Mounted Police
References