The Alkhalil Brothers

Early History and Family Background

The Alkhalil family, of Palestinian origin, immigrated to Canada from Saudi Arabia in December 1990, settling in Surrey, British ColumbiaIMMIGRATION. The family included five brothers: Khalil (born 1981), Hisham (known as “Terry,” born 1982), Mahmoud (1984), Nabil (1979 or 1980), and Rabih (known as “Robby,” born 1987). The brothers soon became entangled in Metro Vancouver’s gang conflicts.

A feud with the rival Duhre crime group erupted in the early 2000s, and violence swiftly followed. On January 18, 2001, 19-year-old Khalil Alkhalil was shot dead at the entrance of a Surrey apartment buildingMURDER. The shooter claimed self-defense and was acquitted in court, but was later gunned down himself in a suspected retaliation.

Less than two years later, on August 16, 2003, Mahmoud Alkhalil was killed in a shootout on a nightclub dance floor in downtown Vancouver (Loft Six in Gastown) during a clash involving Hells Angels membersGANG WAR. After losing two sons to gang violence, the remaining family relocated to Ottawa in 2004 in an effort to start freshRELOCATION. However, this move did not end their involvement in organized crime.

Over the next two decades, the surviving Alkhalil brothers – Nabil, Hisham, and Rabih – became key figures in a nationwide drug empire and gang alliance, while also experiencing high-profile arrests, prison escapes, and deadly conflicts.

Timeline of Major Events

Court Cases and Legal Proceedings

The Alkhalil brothers’ criminal careers have resulted in numerous court cases across multiple jurisdictions. Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil, in particular, has faced a litany of charges ranging from drug trafficking to multiple counts of murder. His first major conviction came from the Toronto trial for the murder of Johnny Raposo. In May 2017, a Toronto jury convicted Rabih of first-degree murder for orchestrating Raposo’s execution, as well as conspiracy to commit murder. He was later sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years, and a concurrent 20-year term for the related conspiracy.

Following the Raposo case, Rabih was transferred to Quebec to answer for charges in Project Loquace, a Sûreté du Québec-led investigation into a Montreal-based cocaine importation ring. In August 2020, he was found guilty in Montreal of conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to traffic cocaine, and trafficking. Quebec Crown prosecutors described him as a major drug trafficker within an international supply chain. The Quebec Superior Court sentenced Rabih Alkhalil to 8 years’ imprisonment for the drug offenses. Notably, this sentence ran concurrently with his existing life term, and by then Alkhalil had already been transferred to British Columbia to face murder charges there.

In British Columbia, Rabih (alongside Hells Angels member Larry Amero) stood trial in 2021-2022 for masterminding the murders of Sandip Duhre and Sukh Dhak. Partway through the trial, Rabih’s 2022 escape halted the proceedings in his absence. Nevertheless, the trial continued for Amero, and in August 2022 the B.C. jury rendered verdicts: Amero was convicted on two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, and Rabih Alkhalil – though absent – was convicted in absentia of first-degree murder (for Duhre’s slaying) and conspiracy to murder (for the plot against Dhak). These verdicts reflected the court’s determination that Alkhalil had orchestrated the hits as part of an underworld “fatal feud.”

Organized Crime Affiliations

All three Alkhalil brothers were deeply enmeshed in organized crime networks that spanned across Canada and internationally. In the 2010s, the Alkhalils became leading figures in the Wolfpack Alliance, an ad-hoc coalition of gangsters from various groups. Rabih “Robby” Alkhalil in particular is identified as one of the leaders of the Wolfpack, alongside Larry Amero of the Hells Angels.

The Wolfpack Alliance formed in the wake of volatile gang wars in B.C., essentially uniting members of different organizations against common rivals (notably the Dhak-Duhre coalition). This syndicate bridged several notorious gangs: it included the Alkhalils and their associates, the Bacon Brothers (leaders of the Red Scorpions gang), elements of the Independent Soldiers, and members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, among others.

By bringing together criminals who might otherwise be competitors, the Wolfpack Alliance sought to dominate drug distribution lines and eliminate mutual enemies in the underworld. The nature of these associations was both entrepreneurial and violent. Drug trafficking was a primary bond – the Wolfpack collectively brokered massive cocaine shipments from the Mexican cartels. In fact, Rabih Alkhalil was responsible for coordinating cocaine imports for the Wolfpack, acting as a key link to suppliers (including ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel).

Wolfpack members used encrypted communications to conduct business; investigators later uncovered text messages in which Rabih and others frankly discussed shipments and murder plots. Beyond business, the Wolfpack alliance also provided muscle and protection. Rabih Alkhalil’s close friendship with Larry Amero, a Hells Angels member, exemplified this relationship. The two men shared a luxury Montreal penthouse around 2011, solidifying a Vancouver-Montreal connection.

Notable Murders and Violent Incidents

The history of the Alkhalil brothers is punctuated by numerous acts of violence – both as victims of gangland killings and as perpetrators or orchestrators of deadly attacks. The Alkhalils tragically lost three of the five brothers to homicide.

Killing of Sandip “Dip” Duhre (2012): A defining violent act attributed to the Alkhalil crew was the assassination of Sandip Duhre in Vancouver, B.C. Duhre was a high-profile gangster and co-leader of the Dhak-Duhre group – the same faction long at odds with the Alkhalils. On January 17, 2012, Duhre was shot multiple times at close range while dining at the Sheraton Wall Centre hotel restaurant in downtown Vancouver, in a brazen public hit. The gunman, disguised as a patron, was Dean Michael Wiwchar, a hitman later linked to Rabih Alkhalil.

Murder of Johnny Raposo (2012): One of the most notorious crimes involving the Alkhalils was the contract killing of Johnny Raposo in Toronto, Ontario. Raposo, 35, was a suspected drug trafficker with whom Alkhalil had co-founded a cocaine deal. When mistrust arose, Rabih Alkhalil and his Wolfpack partners decided to have Raposo eliminated. On June 18, 2012, as Euro Cup soccer games played on TV, a hitman (Dean Wiwchar) walked up to Raposo at the Sicilian Sidewalk Café in Toronto’s Little Italy and shot him dead in broad daylightCONTRACT KILLING.

It was later revealed in court that Alkhalil had promised Wiwchar $100,000 for the hit, referring to Raposo in coded text messages as “the ice cream boy” and urging Wiwchar to “bang that one off.” In 2017, Rabih Alkhalil and three accomplices were convicted of first-degree murder for Raposo’s killing, firmly establishing that the Alkhalil network was behind this high-profile execution.

Conclusion

The story of the Alkhalil brothers is a cross-country saga of crime, violence, and relentless law enforcement pursuit. From their arrival in Canada as refugees in 1990 to the bloody gangland feuds of the 2000s and 2010s, the Alkhalils rose to notoriety as a family-based crime syndicate. Rabih, Hisham, and Nabil Alkhalil – the surviving brothers who carried on after the early deaths of Khalil and Mahmoud – each played roles in a sophisticated criminal enterprise, whether by running international drug networks or forging alliances with outlaw motorcycle gangs and other crime groups.

Their exploits have led to major police operations (Project Anarchy, Project Loquace), high-profile trials, and sensational incidents like Rabih’s Hollywood-style prison escape. The Canadian justice system has recorded multiple convictions against them: Rabih Alkhalil now stands convicted of two first-degree murders (with more charges pending), and he has become a symbol of the lengths organized criminals will go – from violence to vaulting prison walls – to maintain their empires.

Meanwhile, the legacy of the Alkhalil brothers serves as a cautionary tale in Canadian organized crime: it underscores how multi-provincial criminal alliances can fuel deadly conflicts, and how persistent law enforcement efforts eventually caught up with even the most elusive fugitive. The publicly documented record of the Alkhalils – from Surrey to Ottawa to Montreal, from courtrooms to clandestine gang meetings – provides a detailed and sobering look at one of Canada’s most infamous crime families and the violent world in which they operated.