Ontario man named on ICE Top 10 Most Wanted list arrested
DETROIT – One of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 10 Most Wanted was arrested by the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), on Aug. 23, 2017. He is currently in SPVM custody and will be transported to Ontario, Canada, where he is the subject of three different warrants.
In Oct. 2013, Khaophone Sychantha, 32, aka Kao, whose last known residence was Lakeshore, Ontario, was charged in a four-count federal indictment with distribution of a controlled substance following an investigation by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to public records in Canada and the United States, Sychantha, a dual citizen of Canada and Laos, is 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.
"Let this arrest serve as an example of HSI’s unyielding resolve to bring fugitives to justice," said Steve Francis, special agent in charge of HSI Detroit. "ICE will continue to work closely with our Canadian counterparts to promote public safety and hold international fugitives accountable.”
Sychantha has also allegedly directed individuals to smuggle millions in bulk cash, guns, cocaine and heroin from the United States into Canada.
HSI Montreal assisted SPVM by coordinating the exchange of information and the gathering of intelligence related to the arrest. HSI Montreal will continue to assist with the eventual extradition of Sychantha to the United States.
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