B.C. drug smuggler fled to India to avoid 15-year prison sentence: RCMP

Canadian authorities are asking Interpol to issue a “red notice” for the arrest of a Surrey, B.C., man who was convicted of smuggling cocaine into Canada but allegedly fled to India to avoid prison.

If granted, the “red notice” would ask foreign police agencies to arrest Raj Kumar Mehmi, a 60-year-old truck driver who was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for possessing and importing 80 kilograms of cocaine through the Peace Arch border crossing.

A Canada-wide warrant has also been issued for Mehmi’s arrest.

The Surrey man was initially caught at the border in November 2017 while driving a semi-trailer he owned with the sealed bricks of cocaine hidden inside.

The RCMP’s federal serious and organized crime unit estimated the street value of the drugs at $3.2 million.

Mehmi was found guilty one charge each of importing a controlled substance and possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking in September 2022.

A sentencing hearing was scheduled for this past January, however authorities say Mehmi boarded a flight from Vancouver to New Delhi on Oct. 11, 2022, and has not returned to Canada.

Despite his absence, he was sentenced last month in Surrey provincial court to nine years for the importation charge and six years for possession.

Raj Kumar Mehmi was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for possessing and importing 80 kilograms of cocaine through the Peace Arch border crossing. (RCMP)

The latest data available from Statistics Canada indicates cocaine use has steadily increased since 2020, and has contributed “significantly” to accidental drug toxicity deaths in B.C., and Canada overall.

Anyone who sees Mehmi, or has information on his whereabouts, is urged not to approach him. Instead, witnesses and tipsters can contact local police or report what they know anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.