Bike cops nab fugitive wanted in Ontario, U.S.
Two Montreal cops on routine bike patrol duty arrested a man who turned out to be wanted on warrants in Ontario and in the U.S. where he was one of the most sought-after criminals by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Katay-Khaophone Sychantha, 35, reportedly a dual citizen of Canada and Laos, was arrested on Wednesday by two police officers based out of neighbourhood Station 7 who were patrolling a bike path in the St-Laurent borough near the Bois Franc train station. According to a statement by the Montreal police Monday, Sychantha was with another man when they were approached by the officers who suspected they possessed drugs.
Sychantha tried to flee but was arrested after a short pursuit. He produced a fake American identification card, but the officers suspected he was trying to hide something and arrested him. He was eventually brought to an operations centre where he was fingerprinted and his true identity was revealed.
According to the statement, Sychantha is wanted by the Ontario Provincial Police on warrants involving a series of drug trafficking-related offences. He was also on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Ten Most Wanted list. The wanted poster on the ICE website alleges Sychantha, 35, was first indicted in Michigan in 2005 for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
“Following this indictment, Sychantha evaded capture and continued to supervise a drugsmuggling organization based in the Windsor, Canada area. In 2013, Sychantha’s continued illicit activity led to a second indictment in the Eastern District of Michigan for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. He has a history of violence and has allegedly made threats against HSI Special Agents and other law enforcement officials,” the wanted poster notes.
A statement issued by ICE following the arrest describes Sychantha as “the suspected ring leader of a drug-smuggling organization which supplied millions of ecstasy pills and hundreds of pounds of marijuana to several distributors located in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, Georgia, and New York.”
Sychantha appeared at the Montreal courthouse on Thursday where he was charged with drug possession, trying to mislead a police officer and with carrying fake identification. He is expected to be turned over to the Ontario Provincial Police in the future and might eventually be extradited to the U.S.