Man wanted for Quebec murder is arrested in Burnaby, B.C.

An organized crime agency police patch is seen on the shoulder of a member of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. during an RCMP news conference in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, May 10, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

BURNABY — British Columbia’s organized crime agency says collaboration between police forces across Canada has led to the arrest of a man who is wanted in Quebec for murder.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says in a news release that three people were charged in January in connection with the death of Sébastien Giroux in Montreal on May 11, 2022.

Two people were subsequently arrested, while Lee Van Smath Germain remained at large.

They say that investigators in Montreal had determined the man had ties to B.C. and began collaborating with the unit as well as Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

Police say a search warrant was served at a home in Burnaby, B.C., on Wednesday, where the man was found and arrested.

The agency says the man appeared before a judge and was remanded into custody for six days pending his return to Quebec to face the murder charge.

Sgt. Sarbjit K. Sangha with the enforcement unit says the arrest highlights the importance of strong police partnerships in Canada.

“When police agencies share intelligence and work together seamlessly, there are few places where individuals wanted for serious violent offences can evade justice,” Sangha says in the release.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2026.