Netherland police have arrested a suspected ringleader of the world’s largest criminal group o(Drug gang), according to a warrant authorized by Australia.
Tse Chi Lop – a Chinese-born Canadian national – is said to be the head of The Company, which owns the $ 70bn illegal drug market throughout Asia.
70% Of All Illegal Drugs Trade
Listed as one of the most sought after criminals in the world, Mr Tse was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
Australia will now demand his return to court to face charges there.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) believes that the Company, also known as the Sam Gor Syndicate, is responsible for 70% of all illegal drugs entering the country.
The 56-year-old culprit has been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman over the alleged size of his business.
Australian police have reportedly been following Mr Tse for more than a decade before he was arrested on Friday as he was about to board a flight to Canada.
The Arrest
A police statement, which did not name Mr Tse, said an arrest warrant was issued in 2019, and Amsterdam police were acting on Interpol’s notice.
“He was already on the wanted list and was arrested for the intelligence we received,” said a Dutch police spokesman about his arrest on Friday.
Reuters published a special investigation into Mr Tse in 2019 – describing him as “the most wanted man in Asia”.
The news agency quoted UN estimates as saying that the revenue generated by the syndicate from the sale of methamphetamine alone could reach $ 17bn in 2018.
Attempts to arrest Mr Tse, Operation Kungur, involved about 20 entities from continents around the world and the leading AFP, according to Reuters.
Mr Tse is rumoured to have moved between Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan in recent years.
He had previously spent nine years in prison after being arrested on drug trafficking charges in the US in the 1990’s.
Australian media have described his arrest as “extremely important” to the country’s federal police for two decades.
