Calgary trucker Subham Kumar will have to wait to find out if he\u2019ll be ordered extradited to the U.S. to face California drug allegations in connection with a major Mexican narcotics network.<\/p>\n
Calgary Court of King\u2019s Bench Justice Keith Yamauchi reserved decision Thursday on an application by the Canadian Department of Justice on behalf of U.S. officials to have Kumar extradited.<\/p>\n
Yamauchi reserved his ruling after hearing submissions from DOJ lawyer Colin LaRoche and defence counsel Curtis Armitage.<\/p>\n
The Calgary judge ordered a publication ban on evidence presented before him in the extradition hearing.<\/p>\n
Kumar, 31, was one of five Canadians detained in January 2024 by the RCMP under an international arrest warrant at the request of American officials in connection with allegations of a drug smuggling network from Mexico to the U.S. and ultimately Canada.<\/p>\n
He was subsequently released on conditions that include he wear an ankle monitoring device.<\/p>\n
According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, Central District of California released at the time, the arrests were connected to a Los Angeles grand jury indictment charging 19 individuals for their alleged role in the organized crime syndicate.<\/p>\n
U.S. authorities alleged the group used \u201cCanadian handlers and dispatchers\u201d who travelled from Canada to Los Angeles for short periods of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe handlers co-ordinated the pickup and delivery of large shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine, which were loaded onto long-haul semi-trucks destined for Canada,\u201d the U.S. statement said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWholesale quantities of fentanyl were seized as a result of the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to information obtained by the National Post through unsealed court documents, Kumar was contacted by an FBI informant who was looking for a truck driver to move 100 kilograms of cocaine from L.A. to Baltimore.<\/p>\n
None of the allegations have been tested in court.<\/p>\n
Yamauchi will hand down a decision at a later date. Kumar is back in court on March 13.<\/p>\n