Kingpin dubbed ‘Asia’s El Chapo’ delivered to Australia

Chinese-born Canadian Tse Chi Lop, 59, is a suspected leader of the Asian mega-cartel known as Sam Gor, a major global producer and supplier of methamphetamine.

He is due to appear in Melbourne magistrates’ court on Thursday after being extradited from the Netherlands and charged with “conspiring to traffic in commercial quantities of a controlled substance”.

Dubbed Asia’s “El Chapo” after Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman’s nickname, Tse faces life in prison if convicted.

Australian police hailed the case as “one of the most high-profile arrests in the country’s history”.

The Sam Gor organization (or “The Company”) is believed to be laundering billions of dollars in drug money through casinos, hotels and real estate in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia.

Tse was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport in January 2021 after a decade-long search.

He was subject to an Interpol Red Notice.

Australian Federal Police Assistant Chrissy Barrett said the arrest came after a “very complicated investigation”.

“We claim this man is in charge of a large international organized crime syndicate,” she said.

“By their very nature, these very senior figures within the syndicate are deliberately out of touch when it comes to business dealings.”

“That’s why it was such an important arrest and why it took so long.”

Australian Police said the charges were linked to a specific operation involving drug trafficking from Melbourne to Sydney between 2012 and 2013.

A police sting operation at the time arrested 27 people and obtained 20 kilograms of methamphetamine.

A second man was also arrested after being extradited from Thailand.

“The hard work of investigators and the (Australian Federal Police) international network has allowed these suspects to be prosecuted and face the Australian justice system,” Barrett said.