Bike patrol officers arrest fugitive wanted in Ontario, U.S.
Suspect sought on warrants involving series of drug trafficking-related offences
MONTREAL 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 Montreal police officers who were patrolling a bike path in the St-Laurent borough near the Bois Franc train station. According to a release issued by the Montreal police on 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 the Montreal police West Operations Centre in the St-Laurent borough, where he was fingerprinted and his true identity was revealed.
According to the release, 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’s 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 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. It describes Sychantha as someone who should be considered as “armed and dangerous.” He last known location is listed as being Lakeshore.
‘RING LEADER’
A release issued by ICE following the arrest describes Sychantha as “the suspected ring leader of a drug-smuggling organization that 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.
The charges Sychantha faces in the U.S. involve an indictment that was first filed more than a decade ago in a U.S. District Court in Michigan. It remained sealed for years while authorities sought him and then was made public in 2013. It was later amended to add additional charges alleging Sychantha (who is referred to as Khaophone Sychantha) and three other people were part of a conspiracy to distribute several different types of drugs, including ecstasy and methamphetamine and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, in the U.S.