The Family Business

That old adage, with a slight twist to reflect a different type of reality seems to sum up the situation of a husband, wife, their son and daughter.  The family that preys together, stays together.

They all lived together in presumed harmony in their home on Allanford Street, off Conroy Road in good old Ottawa.

Vahideh Hossain Zadeh-Darian, 56, her husband Manouchehr Abdolahi 56, and their two children, Mohammed Abdolahi, 22 and Yasmine Abdolahi, 26.  And together, they face no fewer than 62 charges, including possession for the purpose of exporting and trafficking, exporting a controlled substance and possession of property obtained by crime.

Most decidedly it is a criminal activity to deal in and distribute illegal drugs. 

They were all arrested - that tight little family that is engaged in what appears to be a lucrative family business - at their home by the RCMP's Ottawa airport special operations unit.  Police claim to have found over 520 grams of cocaine and a significant amount of U.S. currency after a search warrant was executed at the house.

An additional 220 grams of cocaine had also been intercepted, en route to other countries.

And of the 62 charges brought against the family of four, 53 of those charges are levelled specifically against Vahideh Hossain Zadeh-Darian, wife of the co-accused, mother of the other two co-accused.  Leader of the pack?  Husband and daughter have been released from custody on cash bonds.  Mother and son remained in custody, scheduled for a bail hearing imminently.

"You never know who your neighbours are.  You don't know them", one shocked neighbour told reporters.  But Mrs. Zadeh-Darian was a "sweet lady".  Typical of neighbours, isn't it?

On the other hand, as crimes go, there are several categories that might be considered worse than that of drug-dealing.  Although it's difficult to discount the really dreadful harm done to people who become helpless addicts thanks in part to people like this, acting as helpful enablers. 

They weren't engaged in murdering people, and that's to their dubious credit. Also to their credit, they didn't deal in child pornography.  Just dealt with one very specific aspect of societal failures.