Dark-web drug suspect arrested, extradited to Canada after international manhunt

Items seizure during a search warrant executed in Metro Vancouver include handguns and illicit drugs. (Handout)

A 29-year-old man accused of running a sophisticated, cross-country drug trafficking operation has been extradited back to Canada following an international manhunt.

Investigators with the RCMP’s Federal Policing Pacific Region say Isaac Oliveira Scott was escorted back to Canada last week from Germany, where he had been arrested on an Interpol red notice in February.

Federal prosecutors approved 11 charges against Oliveira Scott last October, including five counts of drug trafficking, one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking and five firearms-related offences, the RCMP said in a news release Tuesday.

Mounties say the investigation began in December 2022, when officers uncovered a network allegedly using cryptocurrency, the dark web and Canada Post to distribute illegal drugs and fentanyl pills across the country.

‘Remarkably complex’ case

Oliveira Scott was arrested in February 2024, when police executed a search warrant at a Metro Vancouver residence and seized stolen guns, ammunition and a range of drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, according to the release.

Authorities conducting the search also uncovered drug paraphernalia, fraudulent identification documents and cash, police said.

Oliveira Scott was released from custody pending further investigation. Authorities believe he fled the country in May 2025, months before charges against him were laid.

“Suspects may evade police to avoid prosecution, but this file represents the tenacity of federal investigators working with international law enforcement partners to ensure those who are charged in Canada will eventually be caught,” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. James Bennett in a statement.

The investigation was “remarkably complex” due to the use of the dark web to conceal illegal operations, Bennett added. “It was a sophisticated enterprise that shipped all manner of illicit drugs across the country.”

Suspect missing in Victoria

A second suspect, identified as 28-year-old Treshaun Thompson, was charged in August 2025 in connection with the same investigation, according to police.

Investigators say Thompson is facing six charges related to drug trafficking and possession of an identity document without lawful excuse, however his whereabouts is unknown.

Thompson was reported missing from the Rockland area of Victoria on Sept. 9, 2025.

Authorities say there is currently no known link between his disappearance and the drug investigation. Police in Victoria are asking anyone with information related to Thompson’s whereabouts to contact investigators.

The RCMP credited several domestic and international law enforcement agencies for their assistance in the investigation into the alleged drug trafficking network, including German authorities, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, also known as FINTRAC.