Image: B.C. RCMP Federal Serious & Organized Crime / The Federal Serious and Organized Crime division of the B.C. RCMP says a 60-year-old truck driver from Surrey who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for smuggling 80 kilograms of cocaine into B.C. has fled to India. Police say Mehmi was first arrested by the BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) – Waterfront Joint Force Operation unit (WJFO) after CBSA officers discovered 80 sealed bricks of cocaine concealed inside a semi-trailer truck being driven, and owned by, Mehmi. At the time of the drug confiscation, seizure, police estimated the bulk street value of the cocaine at $3.2 million.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Surrey truck driver flees to India

Fraser Valley truck driver gets 15 years in prison, but flees to India: B.C. RCMP

Dec 13, 2023 | 10:10 AM

SURREY — The Federal Serious and Organized Crime division of the B.C. RCMP says a 60-year-old truck driver from Surrey who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for smuggling 80 kilograms of cocaine into B.C. has fled to India.

According to a news release from the B.C. RCMP, Raj Kumar Mehmi, a 60-year-old truck driver from Surrey, was sentenced in November 2023 to serve a total of 15 years in prison for smuggling 80 kilograms of cocaine into B.C. through the Canada-U.S. Pacific Highway border crossing. However, Mehmi is still at large, police say, and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.

Police say Mehmi was first arrested by the BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) – Waterfront Joint Force Operation unit (WJFO) after CBSA officers discovered 80 sealed bricks of cocaine concealed inside a semi-trailer truck being driven, and owned by, Mehmi. At the time of the drug confiscation, police estimated the bulk street value of the cocaine at $3.2 million.

Image: B.C. RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime / Raj Kumar Mehmi, a 60-year-old truck driver from Surrey, was sentenced in November 2023 to serve a total of 15 years in prison for smuggling 80 kilograms of cocaine into B.C. through the Canada-U.S. Pacific Highway border crossing. However, Mehmi is still at large, police say, and a warrant for his arrest has been issued. Mehmi fled to India just before he was sentenced in B.C.

Under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), Mehmi was charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance, Section 6 (1) CDSA, and Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking, Section 5 (2) CDSA.

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In September 2022, a judge found Mehmi guilty on both charges, and a sentencing hearing was scheduled for January 9, 2023. However, just over a month later on October 11, 2022, Mehmi fled to India after boarding a flight from Vancouver to New Delhi the following day.

Since Mehmi failed to appear for his sentencing hearing, an application to sentence him in absentia was filed, and subsequently granted on September 15, 2023.

On November 16, 2023, at the Surrey Provincial Court of B.C., Judge Weatherly sentenced Mehmi in absentia, to 9 years of imprisonment for importing a controlled substance and 6 years of imprisonment for possession for the purpose of trafficking. Mehmi was also handed a lifetime ban on firearms including restricted and prohibited weapons, a forfeiture order and a DNA order.

A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Mehmi, while an Interpol Red Notice will be pursued by law enforcement as a request to authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest Mehmi, pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

Police say the use of stimulants such as cocaine, the drug that Mehmi tried to bring into Canada, have been on the rise across the country. With about half of the unregulated drug-related deaths involving stimulants, the Public Health Agency of Canada has determined that this trend substantially contributes to opioid and stimulant-related harms throughout Canada.

If you locate Mehmi, or have information regarding his whereabouts, please do not approach him, and contact your local police agency, or anonymously report it through the BC Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-222-8477.

by Mike Vanden Bosch

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Fraser Valley truck driver gets 15 years in prison, but flees to India: B.C. RCMP

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