An alleged drug dealer known as “El Chapo Asia” was arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of running a multi-billion dollar narcotics operation, officials said.
Tse Chi Lop, a Canadian citizen born in China, was detained without incident at Schiphol airport at the request of the Australian police, who led an international investigation into his cartel, Dutch police spokesman Thomas Aling said on Saturday.
“He was already on the most wanted list and was arrested based on the information we received,” said Aling.
Authorities said Tse, 57, is the leader of Sam Gor Syndicate, who allegedly dominates the $ 70 billion a year drug trade in Asia-Pacific.
Tse, a former inmate who lived in Toronto, allegedly commanded the huge empire while living in Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The authorities claim that the cartel smuggled highly potent methamphetamine to more than a dozen countries, in addition to trafficking heroin and MDMA.
The union has been “connected with or directly involved in at least 13 cases” of drug trafficking since January 2015, court documents say.
Jeremy Douglas, regional representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), had previously warned that Tse is as much of a threat as other notorious drug lords.
“Tse Chi Lop is in the El Chapo league or maybe Pablo Escobar,” he told Reuters.
UNODC estimated that the Tse group pocketed up to $ 17 billion in 2018.
Tse is expected to be extradited after appearing before a judge, Dutch police said.
Wired Poles