Ontario Police Arrest Suspected Driver in International Drug Courier Scheme

Waterloo police have charged a 36-year-old man they say transported duped young Canadians who were tricked into carrying drugs abroad by a smuggling ring known as the 'dot network.'

Ontario Police Arrest Suspected Driver in International Drug Courier Scheme

Waterloo police have charged a 36-year-old man they say transported duped young Canadians who were tricked into carrying drugs abroad by a smuggling ring known as the "dot network."

CP24 reports that Alexander Kwan was apprehended following a June 11 search of a Markham property. He stands accused of holding narcotics with intent to distribute and holding narcotics with intent to export.

The case stems from a television investigation that exposed how a criminal operation used online recruitment to lure unsuspecting job seekers. The mastermind behind the scheme communicates using only a period as an online handle, giving the organization its nickname.

Victims responded to advertisements for courier positions and were assured their shipments contained nothing illegal. One 19-year-old woman from Cambridge, identified as Jade, flew to Hong Kong last September. Customs officers there inspected her baggage and found 25 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside. She has been jailed ever since, allowed just one brief monthly telephone conversation with relatives back home. Another young man, Omar, aged 21, met the same fate.

Chat records examined by journalists revealed several local recruiters operating from the same general area of Ontario, though the person orchestrating the entire enterprise remains unidentified.

Kwan appeared remotely from Maplehurst Correctional Centre at a Waterloo courthouse hearing on Tuesday. His legal representative requested a future date to argue for pretrial release.

Canada's foreign ministry stated it knows about the imprisoned citizens and is offering them consular support.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)