Johnny K-9 arrest for conspiracy to murder

Johnny K-9, former WWF enhancement talent and Hamilton, Ontario wrestling promoter, has been arrested in Vancouver and charged with conspiracy to murder the Bacon brothers and their Red Scorpion gang associates.

There have been eight members of the UN gang arrested with plotting the deaths of Jonathan, Jarrod and Jamie Bacon, and it is now one of the biggest conspiracy cases in British Columbia’s history.

The 43-year-old K-9, whose real name is Ion William Croitoru, was arrested on Friday. Others arrested include UN gang leader Daniel Ronald Russell, 27, members Soroush Ansari, 28, Dilun Heng, 25, and Yong Sung, 27. In late April, police arrested Barzan Till-Choli, Karwan Saed and Aram Ali.

Ion (John) Croitoru in 2007 in a photo he sent to SLAM! Wrestling.

The gang warfare has been ongoing in Vancouver for quite some time.

Years ago, K-9 was linked to the Hamilton chapter of the Satan’s Choice biker gang and has faced numerous charges and jail time before. Croituro spent seven months in prison in 1991 for assault. He also has a conviction for trafficking cocaine and served 10 months of his sentence.

In 2005, he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of criminal lawyer Lynn Gilbank and her husband Fred of Ancaster, Ont. In 2006, the case fell apart, and K-9 left Hamilton for Vancouver, where he had started a new life, working as a bodyguard and actor.

He spent 20 months in prison before the charges were withdrawn in June 2006. “I couldn’t sleep at night,” Croitoru told SLAM! Wrestling in early 2007, “because I couldn’t believe I was incarcerated for something like this. I’m not saying that I’m no angel, but I didn’t kill nobody.”

As a bodyguard, his assignments included escorting celebrities like Jack Nicholson and Cyndi Lauper around Vancouver, to everything from movie premieres to shopping sprees. “I love it!” Croitoru raved. “I dress up nice, eat the best food, just hang around and make sure nobody screws with these people.”

In the ring, he worked under the names Johnny K-9, Taras Bulba, Orhan Turgedan The Terrible Turk, The Mysterian in Calgary, the Maritimes and for Jim Cornette’s Smokey Mountain Wrestling.

— with files from SLAM! Wrestling news sources