Alleged Drug Lord Asian El Chapo's Right-Hand Man Arrested In Thailand

Alleged international drug kingpin Chung Chak Lee was extradited from Thailand to Australia on Saturday after spending more than a year incarcerated in a Thai prison. The 66-year-old British-Chinese national was arrested in 2020 and accused of trafficking large amounts of drugs. He has been reputed to be the right-hand man of Asia’s “El Chapo”, Tse Chi Lop, who leads the multi-billion drug operation called The Company.

News.com.au reported that Lee is said to be a key player in The Company also known as the Sam Gor Cartel, lucratively trafficking nearly 70% of drugs into Australia. He faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court last weekend as he faced charges of conspiracy to traffic a commercial quantity of a controlled drug. Lee’s offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The Royal Thai Police first arrested Lee two years ago at his apartment in Bangkok after working with more than 20 countries including the Australian Federal Police (AFP). His case connects his involvement in a drug operation with The Company, whose net worth is estimated to be around $23 billion. Australian authorities allege Lee conspired in the trafficking of some 40 kilogram of methamphetamine into Australia that was tracked between five separate shipment quantities spread over a 12-month period in 2012. He operated in Hong Kong and Bangkok before his arrest and is also accused of laundering millions in drug money through Crown Casino.

The AFP has been hunting down Lee for over a decade and has listed him as Australia’s sixth most wanted criminal. Having worked closely with 20 other international authorities in a contributed effort to locate and arrest Lee, AFP Assistant Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the extradition of an individual sitting high on the pecking order of a criminal syndicate is a significant milestone for the law enforcement organization.

“The Australian Federal Police has an international network of partners that are committed to pursuing offenders and bringing them to justice. f you commit an offense, there is nowhere to hide. The AFP has the means and the patience to track you down,” Barrett said.

At the same time, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw highlighted the effects of these drugs that enter the Land Down Under. “It makes our roads less safe. A motorist affected by drugs is the equivalent of a loaded weapon behind the wheel of a car. They are indiscriminately killing and maiming law-abiding citizens,” he pointed out.