Toronto Cops Use Fake Casino Prize in Sting on Murder Suspect

In December 2018, Toronto police initiated a sting operation in a casino in an attempt to apprehend a suspect in a murder case. Unbeknownst to them, their target ended up speaking about a completely different murder, according to The Toronto Sun.

Adil Zeno, 23, was suspected of involvement in the 2016 shooting death of Faysal Mohamed Hees, 26. To gain his trust, undercover officers asked Zeno to fill out a phony marketing survey, claiming he had won a free dining experience and $250 at a casino. When Zeno arrived at the casino, two undercover officers posing as fellow contest winners bonded with him over dinner and drinks. Eventually, the suspect revealed to the officers the details of Jonathan Gayle-West’s death – a man killed by complete strangers, Samir Adem and Salman Ahmed, as he got into his car. This undercover tactic, known as the “big boss” approach, has been developed and employed by Canadian law enforcement. (Image: YouTube)

In the United States, this unlawful practice is where investigations form a pretend criminal association and then persuade the suspect into being part of it. Prosecutors declare that undercover law officers, “Omar” and “Jermaine,” highlighted characters that had the perfect charm to mesmerize a would-be hoodlum like Zeno. This eventually ended in a life-threatening encounter with some unfamiliar people.

Killed by Strangers

On a fateful evening, Omar and Jermaine gave Zeno a ride to a notorious block of high-rises on Dixon Road in Etobicoke. Little did they know that the same night, Jonathan Gayle-West, a 29-year-old aspiring sportscaster, had been attacked and fatally shot in his car near this area. When Zeno met with Omar and Jermaine after the incident, he revealed that his two friends, Salman Ahmed and Samir Adem, were responsible for the crime. Zeno confessed that he helped them hide afterwards. During the murder trial last week, the jury heard Zeno’s words recorded by undercover officers, saying his friends thought they were playing a “joke”.

‘They Thought It Was a Joke’

Zeno testified that on the day of Hees’ death, he had been under the influence of drugs. He stated that the entire neighborhood was well-known, and he witnessed the unfortunate event where Gayle-West attempted to disarm one of the attackers, but the gun jammed. He further testified that the other attacker fired his gun anyway, and the victim did not realize he was being attacked. Zeno stated that the two attackers, Adem and Ahmad, were laughing, as if they thought the situation was a joke. However, once in the witness stand, Zeno asserted that all his accounts were just hearsay. Prosecutors contend that there is a multitude of evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, and video recordings that tie Adem and Ahmad to the shooting. Following four months of an informal casino trial, Zeno was charged with first-degree murder in 2016 for Hees’ death, who had died during an altercation near Dixon Road.