Man caught with $371K told to straighten up, fly right

A Manitoba judge warned a Calgary man to stay away from illicit drugs as he sentenced him to house arrest after he was caught with more than $371,000 in cash at the Winnipeg airport in 2024.

Kevin Paul Panghulan, 32, was arrested at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport and charged with possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000 on the morning of Oct. 26, 2024, after he arrived in Winnipeg and checked a bag containing $371,674 in cash with Air Canada for a flight bound to Toronto.

He was scheduled to fly back home to Calgary five-and-a-half hours after arriving in Toronto.

Panghulan pleaded guilty to possessing the proceeds of crime in front of Court of King’s Bench Justice Ken Champagne on Tuesday.

No concrete explanation was provided in court as to why he had so much cash.

Federal drug Crown prosecutor Dan Manning said proceeds of crime cases are difficult to prosecute and rely on circumstantial evidence.

But, said the judge, there were “pretty strong inferences” of potential drug trafficking in the case, despite the fact Panghulan wasn’t charged with the more serious offence.

Champagne issued Panghulan a warning, saying: “$370,000 and change in your suitcase, that tells me a few things.

“I’ve been in this business for over 20 years and I’ve indicated to the Crown that in my view, there’s some pretty strong inferences that can be drawn here, that you’re moving money one way, probably moving drugs the other way,” said Champagne.

“I’m not sentencing you for that, don’t get me wrong, I’m just telling you about the lay of the land.”

Champagne called illicit drug sales a “serious business.”

The judge said he did not know if Panghulan owed money to anyone on the street after the cash was seized, but he knows somebody was unhappy with the loss of the money.

“And so it’s a dangerous business, people moving drugs, getting caught, (there’s a) price to pay here in the courtroom — sometimes there’s a bigger price to pay out on the street,” said Champagne.

“So, I’m mindful of that. Stay out of this business. You’ve got a family, two young children, you’ve got two jobs. That’s the way to make a good life for yourself and your family.”

He said if Panghulan ever racks up a drug trafficking conviction, with the proceeds of crime conviction already on his record, he can expect a serious term in a federal prison.

Manning and Panghulan’s lawyer, Rahul Nanda, jointly recommended he be given a conditional sentence order of two years less a day, amounting to house arrest.

He’ll be subject to an absolute curfew with exceptions allowing him to continue to work as a mechanic at a shop and as a supervisor at a cleaning company.

Champagne agreed with the recommendation.

Panghulan is expected to serve out his house arrest in Calgary.

The cash was vacuum-sealed and bundled in a manner that RCMP at the airport believed was consistent with how drug money is packaged. Panghulan, arrested leaving the Air Canada lounge, would not explain to authorities where the money came from.

Police obtained court orders indicating Panghulan had taken 12 other flights across the country in the month prior to his arrest, Manning said.

He made various cash deposits at ATMs across the country in that same time frame and his reported income that year was $30,000 and $50,000 the previous year, Manning told court.

The money was seized by the provincial government via civil forfeiture proceedings.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca