Australian police said Thursday the suspected head of a global drug trafficking syndicate has been taken into custody. Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian national, was one of the world's most wanted men.
Tse Chi Lop is the alleged head of the Sam Gor syndicate, which law enforcement agencies have alleged dominates the hard drugs market across the Asia-Pacific region from Japan to New Zealand.
Australian police have said the syndicate has imported more illegal drugs into Australia than any other criminal gang.
Tse Chi Lop, who is 59, was extradited Thursday from the Netherlands. He was detained at Australia’s request at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in 2021. His arrival in Australia brings to an end a decadelong manhunt for one of the world’s most wanted men, who was thought to have been living in Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Krissy Barrett, an assistant Australian Federal Police, or AFP, commissioner told reporters Thursday Tse’s extradition is a significant development.
“You know, the significance of this arrest would be one of the most high-profile arrests in the history of the AFP knowing what we know about the syndicate and the impact that it has had on this country over such a long period of time." said Barrett. "His extradition today is a culmination of a long-term AFP investigation into a transnational organized crime syndicate called The Company, also known as the Sam Gor syndicate.”
Tse faces charges relating to the alleged trafficking of methamphetamine into Australia in 2012 and 2013. He denies the allegations and is due back in court in Melbourne early next year.
Ten people have been arrested in relation to the alleged smuggling operation.
Barrett said the goal of the police was to make Australia a "hostile place" for drug traffickers.
