The Family: New details emerge about alleged leader of 500-person organized crime network in Calgary

The man alleged to lead a 500-person criminal organization involved in selling drugs and terrorizing a vulnerable community withviolence, includinga homicide, was once called acareer criminalwith a horrendousrecord by a Calgary judge.

New details aboutmassive drug distribution networkThe Familyand alleged leaderLawrence Oruborhave been uncovered by CBC News throughcourt documents, online records, and interviews with people who are eitherclose to the investigation or workwith clients of the Calgary Drop-In Centre, where much of the criminal activity took place.

Since Orubor'sarrest, staff at the DI, as well as police, have recorded a "notable decrease of violent incidents"in the downtown area, police say.

Orubor, 52, who lives in Calgary's suburbs, has a criminal history dating back more than 30 years in both B.C. and Alberta, with at least 40 convictions on his record.

He now faces seven new charges connected to Operation Bloodline, the six-month police investigation into The Family.

Two weeks ago, he was released on bail.

Homicide connection

The charges faced by Orubor are rare:instructing drug trafficking and violent offences for a criminal organization.

"[Those charges] requires a great deal of investigative rigour to put that before the courts," said Deputy Chief Chad Tawfik at Tuesday's police commission meeting.

If the violence hadn't gotten so intense, perhaps The Family would still be operating under the radar, selling mostly singledoses of drugs toaddicted, homeless Calgarians.

For months, The Familywas responsiblefor the "vast majority of violence in the downtown core" according toTawfik, who said the group is also implicated in a homicide.

CPS wouldn'tconfirm which homicide was connected to The Family because it speaks to the evidence before the courtsbut a spokesperson for the service said charges have been laid in connection with the killing.

• Police break up drug-trafficking ring called The Family that used vulnerable Calgarians as distributers

'Made his whole living off $20 rocks'

Orubor has at least three aliases and a 30-year history of criminal activity in both Lower Mainland, British Columbia, and Calgary, according to court records.

"He's the guy that preys on the down-and-outs," said one CPS officer, whomCBC is not identifying because he's not authorized to speak on the matter.

"He's made his whole living off $20 to $40 rocks."

Another officer who investigated Orubormore than a decade ago, when he was under investigation by CPSfor similar allegations, saidOrubortargets underlings who are willing to "work just for the dope" and that he "makes big money" off of the system.

While several arrests tied to The Family were made in early November,investigators didn't simply target everyone buying and selling drugs.

There were different tiersof sellers, some who did it to support their own habit, and others who were more predatory, willing to commit acts of violence on behalf of the gang.

Calgary police tried to differentiate between the two, working closely with social services to line up supports for those victimized by The Family rather than charging everyone involved.

Orubor a 'career criminal', judge says

Court records show Orubor'scriminal history dates back to the 1990s, although there appears to be a break in convictions since 2005.

In the 1990s, Orubor faced several sets of charges in B.C., includingin Chilliwack, Surreyand New Westminster.

He was jailed in that provincefor drug trafficking, using counterfeit money, fraud and possessing a stolen credit card.

In 2007, a Calgary judge called Orubor a "career criminal" with a "horrendous" record including more than 40 convictions, some of which were for violent offences like aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.

At the time, Oruborhad unsuccessfullyappealeda sentence of one year in jailafter he was convicted of dangerous driving forspeedingthrough a playground zone at 60 km/h, blowing through a stop sign, T-boning car and causing the otherdriver, who was battling cancer at the time, to suffer serious injuriesincluding multiple rib fractures.

No contact order with convicted killer

Search warrants were executed in early November on two vehicles and four homes, one of which court records show is Orubor's.

In those raids, police say they seized thousands of grams of drugs including meth, fentanyl, crack and GHB.

At the time, Staff Sgt. Jody Gash said the drugswere distributed in small quantities "across this vast network, never staying in one place for long."

Two weeks ago, provincial court Judge John Bascom granted Orubor bail, allowing him to return to his southeast home with conditions includingthat he abide by an 8p.m. to 6a.m. curfew and surrender his passport.

Orubor has retained defence lawyer Dick Cairns,a senior, well-respected lawyer who practises in both British Columbia and Alberta and has represented high-profile alleged gangsters including members of the Hells Angels and alleged FOB gang leader Nick Chan, whom he successfully defended in 2016 against charges of first-degree murder and instructing a criminal organization.

Other bail conditions include a no-contact order with 20 people,some of whom are listed in court documents as alleged co-conspirators and many who have faced prior charges related to violent offences, including Natalie Pasqua, who was previously convicted of manslaughter.

Orubor is also banned from going near the DIor the Sheldon Chumir, the location of a supervisedinjection site.

Police operation made 'huge difference' to DI safety

Staff at the DI say after the arrests, violence is noticeably down. Everyone from staff to clients feels safer.

"It's such a huge difference, such a huge difference," says Elise, who works at the DI. CBC News has agreed to only identify her by her first name.

She said The Family's set-up on Dermot Baldwin Way, outside the DI, was predatory.

"By hanging out outside they were fully taking advantage of people who are dealing with dependencyissues on drugs and alcohol and they were targeting them," says Elise.

She says the violence got so bad, some clients would ask to be let out the north doors rather than the ones leading toDermot Baldwin Way.

CBC News contacted both Cairns and the prosecutor assigned to the case. Both declined to comment as the matter is still before the courts.

Orubor will be back in court this month.