Four men wanted by police in B.C. and Alberta have made the list of Canada's 25 most wanted.
The BOLO program released its national 25 most wanted list in Vancouver on Wednesday (Oct. 8), against a backdrop of police officers wearing face masks of the most wanted. Officers were seen guiding out the officers to their spots behind the podium.
"Behind every one of the spoof masks behind me is a police officer, ranging from constable to superintendent, who volunteered for this event," said BOLO Program executive director Maxime Langlois, noting they were referring to them as models.
"To make this as real as possible to give you a better chance to be on the lookout, the physical traits of each model behind me matches the fugitive that he or she is portraying."
Langlois said it may feel uncomfortable, especially for those in the room during the press conference, "to see the 25 most wanted fugitives in the flesh behind me."
"It should," he said. "On the one hand, these fugitives have been 'awarded' BOLO top 25 spots, not only because of the major crimes they're charged with, but because they know they are wanted and they're actively evading arrest."
"On the other hand, make no mistake, these dangerous individuals are somewhere among us, so they will remain this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow, next week if we don't do something."
Langlois added BOLO over the years has used "many unique concepts" to help people be on the lookout for Canada's most wanted, including life-sized cutouts, online contests, billboards and more.
There have been some changes from the top 25 list in 2024, notably former fugitive and B.C. prison escapee Rabih Alkhalil, who was arrested in Qatar, is now off the list. There are 12 new fugitives on the list this year.
Langlois said that of the 70-plus suspects featured in BOLO campaigns since 2018, 42 have been located.
B.C. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said the provincial detachment was one of the BOLO Program's first partners, going back to 2019. Since then, he said, five of the 18 B.C. RCMP fugitives featured by the program have been apprehended – most recently Alkhalil.
"A fugitive with a violent criminal history who has been at the top of BOLO's most wanted since escaping prison in 2022 while he was on trial for murder."
McDonald said police investigations often unfold quietly with work happening behind the scenes, "even as we close in on a suspect." He said BOLO ensured that Alkhalil "would never stop feeling the unrelenting pressure of being actively pursued by police as one of Canada's most wanted criminals, even while overseas."
"His name and his face continued to be shared by BOLO far and wide while he was on the run and now the process is moving forward to have him face justice here in Canada."
He said the reality is that the suspects on this list are not bound by borders, adding they could be in any community.
"In fact, many of those in the top 25 have ties to British Columbia," McDonald said, adding the number one suspect, Bryan Fuentes Gramajo, is form Montreal but is believed to have connections and strong ties to the Lower Mainland. Mohamed Shire, wanted by Ottawa Police Service, and Dharam Dhaliwal, wanted by Peel Regional Police, and Kiarash Parzham, wanted by Toronto Police Service, "also have strong ties to B.C."
