Canadian man convicted for operating drug ring from California to Canada
A 43-year-old Canadian man was convicted Thursday for his connection to a drug ring between California and Canada, where he intended to transport hundreds of pounds of drugs over the border.
Vincent Yen Tek Chiu, who also went by the nicknames "El Chino," "Tiger," "TigerOfMexico" and "TigerOfSweden," was found guilty in a Los Angeles court on one count each of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to export controlled substances, distribution of heroin, distribution of cocaine and distribution of MDMA, more commonly known as ecstasy.
The trial, which spanned over seven days, presented evidence against Chiu and other members of his operation for their distribution of multi-pound shipments of narcotics to couriers who intended to increase distribution throughout Canada.
Chiu, who was arrested in July 2019, was the mastermind behind the drug ring that operated using big rigs and fully-encrypted telephones to avoid detection.
Despite these efforts, federal agents were able to intercept several of the deliveries during the course of their investigation.
Overall, prosecutors detailed that Chiu had purchased four loads of the drugs with an estimated value of $4.5 million -- 198 pounds of cocaine and 17.6 pounds of heroin.
Chiu faces sentencing on Aug. 4, where he will earn anywhere between 10 years and lifetime in a federal prison.