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Asia's 'El Chapo' arrested in Australia

December 22, 2022

Australian police have arrested the alleged head of a major drug syndicate after he was extradited from the Netherlands. The criminal organization has trafficked huge amounts of methamphetamine into Australia.

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Tse Chi Lop in custody of Australian police
Tse Chi Lop will appear before a Melbourne court on drug trafficking chargesImage: Australian Federal Police

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Thursday they had taken an alleged global drug kingpin known as Asia's "El Chapo" into custody after his extradition from the Netherlands. Authorities called it "one of the most high-profile arrests in the history" of Australia.

The man, reported widely to be Chinese-born Canadian Tse Chi Lop, 59, has been on Interpol's most-wanted list as the suspected head of Asia's biggest crime syndicate, Sam Gor, which produces and supplies methamphetamines on a global scale.

Tse — whose nickname refers to Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman — faces life imprisonment if convicted of drug trafficking.

A second man was also arrested in June in connection with the same charges after being extradited from Thailand.

What did Australian police say?

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the arrest came after a "very complex investigation."

"By their very nature, these very senior figures within the syndicates obviously deliberately stay hands-off in terms of the business dealings," she said. "That's why it's such a significant arrest and why it has taken a fair amount of time."

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett announcing the arrest
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett vowed to further prosecute transnational crime syndicates after the arrest Image: James Ross/AAP/IMAGO

"The hard work of investigators, and the (Australian Federal Police) international network, has enabled these alleged offenders to be charged and face the justice system in Australia," Barrett said, adding: "The AFP will make Australia a hostile environment for all transnational serious organised crime syndicates that target our communities."

What is the background to the arrest?

Tse, who has been subject to an Interpol Red Notice since 2019, was arrested at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in January 2021 after a decadelong hunt by numerous police agencies across the world. 

The syndicate he is suspected of heading, known as Sam Gor or "The Company," is believe'd to launder billions in drug money through casinos, hotels and real estate in Southeast Asia's Mekong region.

The charges he is facing in Australia have to do with a specific operation in 2012-2013 involving the transfer of drugs from Melbourne to Sydney, Australian police said.

At the time, police found 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of methamphetamine with a current street value of some $3 million (€2.8 million). Altogether 27 people were arrested in connection with the operation.

In 2018, the United Nations narcotics agency estimated Sam Gor's meth revenue to be $8 billion a year, though it said it could be as high as $17.7 billion.

tj/wd (AFP, Reuters)