Dutch police said on Saturday they had arrested Tse Chi Lop, the alleged leader of an Asian drug syndicate who is listed as one of the world’s most wanted fugitives.
Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian national, was detained on Friday at the request of Australian police, who led an investigation that alleged his organisation dominated the $70bn-a-year Asia-Pacific drug trade, Dutch police spokesman Thomas Aling said.
Tse is expected to be extradited after appearing before a judge, Aling said, adding that his arrest by national police took place without incident at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
“He was already on the most wanted list and he was detained based on intelligence we received,” Aling said.
Dutch police were unable to provide details about the legal proceedings and it was not clear whether Tse had a lawyer.
Tse, who formerly lived in Toronto, has moved between Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan in recent years, according to counter-narcotics officers from four countries and documents previously reviewed by Reuters.
The syndicate he is accused of running is known to its members as “The Company”. Law enforcers also refer to it as “Sam Gor”, according to Reuters. The Australian federal police , which has taken the lead in a sprawling investigation, accused Tse of being “the senior leader of the Sam Gor syndicate”.
