Nanaimo man arrested on Canada-wide warrant 5 months after missing sentencing

Kerry Chang is seen in this image handed out by the Nanaimo RCMP.

A Nanaimo man who was wanted Canada-wide after failing to appear in court for a sentencing hearing last year is back in custody.

Kerry Chang was convicted of three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking in 2023, Nanaimo RCMP said in a news release Wednesday.

His sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 20, 2024, but he did not attend court that day, police said in a previous release last year.

“A Canada-wide unendorsed warrant was then issued for his arrest,” the latest release reads.

“Chang was arrested without incident at a residence in Nanaimo and is currently in custody.”

He was arrested on Tuesday.

The 56-year-old appears to be the same Kerry Wallace Chang who was convicted of fentanyl trafficking last year after telling the court that 471 grams of the drug found in the living room of the house where he lived belonged to a friend.

• Read more: B.C. man convicted of fentanyl trafficking after judge rejects claim drugs belonged to a friend