Feds seek 30 years for head of notorious U.N. gang
Published 11:19 am Wednesday, December 16, 2009
SEATTLE — A man who parlayed a group of rough friends, a disdain for the Hells Angels and what prosecutors describe as “laudable organizational skills” into one of Canada’s most notorious gangs could go to prison for decades.
Clay Roueche appears today for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik in Seattle. Prosecutors are seeking 30 years after he pleaded guilty to drug and money laundering conspiracy charges.
Roueche founded the United Nations gang — so called because it welcomed all nationalities — in southern British Columbia in the 1990s. Prosecutors say he used a network of helicopters, planes, semi-trucks and other methods to move many tons of marijuana and cocaine and millions of dollars through Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Roueche’s attorney says there’s no evidence he engaged in the violence, including targeted killings, that the U.N. gang has been blamed for. He suggests a sentence of 15 to 20 years.
