A Canadian man once labeled one of the world's most powerful drug traffickers has been sentenced to 16 years behind bars in Australia, concluding a three-year legal process shrouded in secrecy.
From Toronto to a Global Criminal Empire
Tse Chi Lop, 62, formerly of Toronto, was known to law enforcement agencies worldwide as 'Asia's El Chapo.' He was accused of heading a multi-billion-dollar syndicate responsible for flooding the Asia-Pacific region with methamphetamine. His arrest capped an extensive international manhunt.
The Chinese-born Canadian citizen was apprehended at Amsterdam's airport in 2021 as he attempted to board a flight to Canada. His extradition to Australia, where he arrived in December 2022, proceeded only after authorities guaranteed he would not face a prison term exceeding 25 years.
A Secret Guilty Plea and a Judge's Condemnation
For years, Tse Chi Lop's court proceedings in Melbourne were held in closed sessions, hidden from public and media scrutiny. When the courtroom doors finally opened on Thursday, it was revealed he had pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to traffic commercial quantities of border-controlled drugs.
Australian media reported the accused showed little emotion during the hearing, where he sat with a Cantonese interpreter under police guard. The presiding judge, Peter Rozen, did not mince words, describing Tse's drug trafficking business as 'pure evil.'
The Rise of 'The Company' and a Jet-Set Lifestyle
Authorities allege Tse was the mastermind behind a powerful alliance known as 'The Company,' which unified five major triad groups in Asia. Internationally, law enforcement often referred to the syndicate as 'Sam Gor,' a Cantonese nickname for Tse meaning 'Brother Number Three.'
His vast alleged wealth and influence allowed him to live a life of extreme luxury for years, largely away from the public eye. This lifestyle reportedly included private jet travel, high-stakes gambling in casinos, and extensive international real estate holdings.
Tse's journey to notoriety began after he immigrated to Canada with his fiancée in 1988 at age 25, settling in Toronto. He married in Canada a year later, started a family, and was joined by his parents and in-laws. His first brush with Canadian law came in the early 1990s during an RCMP investigation into links between Italian mafia figures in the Toronto area and Chinese crime groups.
While he maintained ties to Canada, Tse increasingly operated from abroad. The Melbourne trial specifically focused on his syndicate's activities within Australia between 2012 and 2013.
