Vancouver drug-smuggling ring leader given 18-year sentence

A man who operated an international drug-smuggling ring in B.C.'s Lower Mainland will spend 18 years in jail after pleading guilty to three charges, the RCMP said Friday.

Vancouver resident Yong Long Ye will also forfeit six properties in British Columbia and Ontario.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce and export methamphetamine, conspiracy to import and traffic cocaine, and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime and to possess property derived from the commission of an offence.

"Today's guilty plea, sentence and property forfeiture clearly demonstrates that criminal activity is not a licence to print money," said Chief Supt. Bob Harriman of RCMP federal policing.

Ye was the former head of a sophisticated organized crime group, RCMP said in a news release Friday.

He was one of 36 people arrested in Canada, the United States, Japan and Australia after a major drug bust in December 2007.

The organized crime group was involved in the production, importation and distribution of numerous drugs, including methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, ecstasy and cocaine, police said at the time.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) in British Columbia led the investigation, which involved police agencies from Australia, the United States, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, India and China.

"This clearly illustrates the seriousness of the offenses. The illegal drug trade affects people across local, regional and international boundaries," said Supt. Doug Kiloh of CFSEU.

The RCMP said charges against several other people are still before the courts.

No details were given about the number of people charged and the charges involved.