Big-time Canadian drug lord to face charges in Phl before deportation

Thomas Gordon O'Quinn, an arrested Canadian fugitive, will face possible criminal charges in the country before being deported, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco.

Tansingco said that 38-year-old O’Quinn, who uses the alias "James Martin", was arrested on 16 May in Brooklyn. Maitim II, Tagaytay City, in a joint operation of the BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) and the Regional Intelligence Division of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), PRO4A, and the Tagaytay City Police Station.

O'Quinn is considered a big-time drug lord, and he is wanted by the FBI for cases filed against him in the US.

The BI chief noted that the bureau also discovered that O'Quinn is the subject of an Interpol red alert after a US district judge in Western Washington issued an arrest warrant against him. 

He was reportedly accused in court of conspiracy to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute the illegal narcotic known as methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), as well as five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. An additional charge of conspiracy to export from the US five kilograms of cocaine was also filed against him in the same court. 

O'Quinn allegedly committed the offenses between August 2014 and June 2015, when he and his associates enabled the shipment and import of illegal drugs from Canada to the United States and vice versa. 

According to US penal law, O'Quinn faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if found guilty.

O'Quinn is facing charges in the Philippines for violating Article II of R.A. 9165, Section 11 (Illegal Possession), as well as Article 178 of the Revised Penal Code, which prohibits using a fictitious name while concealing a real name.

The bureau shared that reports from the NCRPO stated that the cases have been filed through inquest proceedings at the Office of the Prosecutor, Department of Justice, in Manila.

The Canadian fugitive is also considered a prominent suspect by the local authorities for his alleged involvement in the 1.4 tons of illegal drugs that were seized inside a vehicle in Batangas last month.

The authorities also reported that during his arrest, immigration and police operatives seized several sachets of shabu and 14 identification cards with fictitious names in his possession.

"He has to stand trial and face his crimes locally before we deport him so he can again stand trial for the crimes he committed abroad," Tansingco stated.

Commissioner Tansingco believes that the collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and the BI, which culminated in O'Quinn's arrest, disrupted the operations of a significant criminal group attempting to undertake narcotics operations in the country.

“This is a major accomplishment for all agencies involved. It serves as a warning to syndicates that might be attempting to initiate illegal operations here in the Philippines. Your crimes will not go unpunished,” he warned.

Currently, the suspect is in the custody of local law enforcement until his legal matters are resolved.