Narcotics trafficking ring was led by B.C. man who went by 'TigerOfSweden': U.S. court
Cocaine is shown in a file photo. (Shutterstock.com)
A Vancouver man accused of leading a drug trafficking ring through the U.S. was recently found guilty of several charges, officials south of the border said.
Vincent Yen Tek Chiu learned his fate from a jury in late March following federal criminal charges tied to the attempted export of hundreds of pounds of narcotics, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.
The 43-year-old, who also went by the nicknames "El Chino," "Tiger," "TigerOfMexico" and "TigerOfSweden" was convicted in a seven-day trial.
He was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to export controlled substances, distribution of cocaine, distribution of heroin and distribution of methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA).
During his trial, the court heard Chiu led an organization that intended to export hundreds of pounds of cocaine and heroin from California into Canada.
The group planned to use "big-rig trucks and fully encrypted telephones," the DOJ said in a statement on March 24.
The case against Chiu included claims that he'd arranged the purchase of bulk quantities of cocaine in the U.S., which would be resold in Canada for cash or similar quantities of MDMA, and vice versa.
Prosecutors said there was evidence of four loads purchased by Chiu, including one load of nearly 200 pounds of cocaine. The estimated wholesale value of those four loads is US$4.5 million, or about C$5.6 million at today's exchange rate.
"Federal agents intercepted several of the drug deliveries in 2018 and 2019. Law enforcement seized more than $800,000 in Canadian currency during this investigation," the DOJ statement said.
Chiu's sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin on Aug. 4. His convictions come with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison in the States, but he could face a maximum of a life sentence.
Chiu has been in custody since he was arrested three years ago.
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