Extradited Canadian convicted on drug charges

Khaophone Sychantha, 32, also known as Kao, is seen in this image released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A former Lakeshore man is facing a 10-year prison sentence after he was found guilty on drug charges.

Khaophone Sychantha, 43, was previously extradited from Canada to the U.S., after he was placed on Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) most wanted list.

Sychantha appeared in court and was found guilty on all charges after a six-day trial on Oct. 18.

The charges include:

• One count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, ecstasy and BZP (N-benzylpiperazine)
• One count of possession of methamphetamine, ecstasy and BZP with intent to distribute
• One count of possession of ecstasy and BZP with intent to distribute.

The Laos and Canada dual-citizen reportedly “led an organization that directed several couriers to transport hundreds of thousands of pills and tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds across the U.S.-Canada border over an eight-year span,” according to a news release from HSI.

Multiple couriers involved were caught and convicted. David Sok, who is said to be Sychantha’s right-hand man, was also extradited from Canada and pled guilty in an earlier trial.

Before Sychantha was arrested, HSI said he fled house arrest in Canada, before being added to HSI Detroit’s 10 Most Wanted List. He was arrested in Montreal in 2017 after allegedly assaulting a police officer.

“Sychantha sought to flood our communities with illicit drugs, bringing violence and pain to both sides of the border,” said Angie M. Salazar, the HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge.

“HSI special agents, prosecutors and law enforcement partners worked diligently for more than a decade to seek justice and accountability for these crimes. This conviction is a testament to their perseverance.”

Sychantha is facing a mandatory 10-year prison sentence. There’s a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.

Sychantha will be sentenced on Feb. 19, 2025. He will stay in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service leading up to his sentencing.