In the wake of a 2019 homicide, police officers raided the home of Charalambos Theologou, the man shot to death inside a busy Starbucks in Laval, Que., last week.
There, according to a police affidavit, they found thousands of dollars in cash, a bulletproof vest and financial records that police said showed Theologou’s involvement in illicit activities.
The financial records, photographs of which appear in a search warrant report viewed by CBC, list what police say were people in debt to Theologou. Among the debtors are Theologou’s associates, many of them described by nicknames and, in particular, the names of Montreal-area restaurants.
The records, and the apparent connection between Theologou and the 2019 homicide, show the depth of his alleged involvement in both extortion and the criminal world, which authorities say ultimately led to him being shot to death in a brazen daylight hit.
Although Theologou’s criminal convictions, for drug trafficking, conspiracy and firearms possession, date back to the early 2010s and earlier, search warrant documentation shows that police much more recently considered him to be the head of a prominent and active drug trafficking ring.
Theologou, who also called himself Bobby the Greek, fronted a band known as the Chomedey Greeks. He also acted as a key player in extorting restaurant owners for protection money, according to Radio-Canada.
When Charalambos Theologou was murdered in a Starbucks in early October, police were watching him so closely that there were undercover officers in the cafe at the same time. Court documents and police sources reveal that investigators were well informed about his alleged involvement in both extortion and the criminal world.
But in 2019 he came to the attention of police during a murder investigation.
On July 13, 2019, early in the morning, Michail Michakis, 35, was shot to death in a parking lot in the Chomedey neighborhood of Laval.
Michakis, a convicted drug dealer, was a “runner” who dealt drugs and raised money for Theologou, according to information in a police affidavit.
Police linked Michakis’ death to organized crime and handed the investigation over to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Quebec’s provincial police.
In connection with the homicide, a few weeks later, SQ agents arrived at a rich home and a semi-detached house in Laval, both belonging to Theologou.
In the house, they found nearly $19,000 in cash, financial records (some scribbled in a Hilton hotel notebook) and a bulletproof vest. At the home they found 366 bags of cocaine, $4,100 in cash and 4,640 euros.
Theologou refused to meet with investigators, according to police.
“There is a marked disproportion between [Theologou’s] his lifestyle and his assets and his declared legitimate income,” an SQ investigator wrote in an affidavit.
Financial records include names and amounts. They show more than 50 debtors, all of whom police say owed money to Theologou.
The debtors’ names appear to include restaurants, or former restaurants, and other businesses in the Montreal area. Some of them are listed together with amounts of more than $200,000, although the average amount is closer to $10,000.
CBC is not identifying the restaurants to avoid associating them with criminal activity.
In addition to being the head of a drug trafficking ring, according to police, Theologou also acted as a loan shark.
Neither he nor anyone else was charged in connection with Michakis’ murder. Theologou also did not face charges for possession of cocaine found in his home.
Video obtained by Radio-Canada shows two people entering and fleeing the cafe during the incident. The moment in which the filming takes place has been eliminated from the video due to its graphic nature.
Last week, when he and two of his associates, who survived, were shot inside a Starbucks located on the corner of the Highway 440 and 100th Avenue service road, undercover police officers who had been following Theologou were inside the cafe, according to Radio-Canada sources.
The SQ said last week that a car found on fire in Montreal’s east end early Thursday morning is believed to be linked to the shooting.
A 2013 Parole Board of Canada decision noted that Theologou had been trafficking drugs in prison while serving time for drug trafficking and firearms possession.
The decision indicated that Theologou was attracted to money and had a taste for luxury, with little chance of rehabilitation.
“Their participation in institutional drug trafficking demonstrates that they are not willing to change their ways,” the decision reads. “According to his case management team, considering his current behavior, they assess the outcome as quite bleak.”
