There appear to be no assurances, at least publicly known at this point, concerning the death penalty with the judge in Alberta at the end of last year who approved the extradition request, noting that the sentence of death by lethal injection was the only one available to the Thai court if Mr Dupre is convicted of the callous murder of 32-year-old Jimmy Sandhu on February 4th 2022.
Matthew Dupre, a suspected contract killer with an armed forces and private security background, who is believed to have murdered an Indian gangster Jimmy Sandhu in Phuket on February 4th 2022 was flown back to Thailand on Sunday night on a special Royal Thai Air Force flight. He is believed to be facing a charge of premeditated murder with the prospect of the death penalty still on the table if he is convicted. Dupre was arrested by Canadian Police in Alberta only 16 days after gunning down the Indian-born international drug trafficker after a rapid and highly successful Royal Thai Police investigation.
A former Canadian armed forces member, part of a two-man hit squad who arrived in Thailand at the end of January 2022 and gunned down the notorious Indian-born gangster Jimmy Sandhu on the night of February 4th 2022, has been extradited to Thailand to face a charge of premeditated murder.
Alberta’s Court of King’s Bench Justice, Denise Kiss, in December 2022, ordered the extradition of the Canadian.
The judge, at the time, said that authorities had successfully made their case to allow the extradition to proceed including the provision of preliminary evidence from Thailand suggesting that Mr Dupre was a clear suspect in the murder.
Alberta judge dismissed death penalty concerns from Dupre’s lawyer and noted the only sentence open to the Thai court was death by lethal injection
The judge rejected a submission on behalf of Mr Dupre by his lawyer raising the prospect of his client being sentenced to death in Thailand.
The Alberta judge said that under the 1999 Extradition Act of Canada, her role was limited to conducting a preliminary screening of the evidence placed before her by the appropriate authorities and no more.
‘I note that if he is convicted, the only sentence is death by lethal injection,’ Justice Kiss declared. ‘This is simply not a factor I’m permitted to consider at this stage of the extradition proceedings.’
Dupre was arrested by Canadian Police on February 20th after a swift and effective investigation by the Royal Thai Police including an extradition request to Canadian authorities, just over 16 days after the murder.
Second suspected killer died in a plane crash while on the run from Canadian authorities in May 2022
The second man involved in the execution of the drug lord in Phuket was 36-year-old Gene Lahrkamp who died while on the run from Canadian Police in a plane crash in May 2022.
Phuket murder hit suspect dies in Canadian plane crash days after being declared ‘most wanted’ by police
Both are suspected of murdering 32-year-old mobster Jimmy Sandhu who Thai police have since confirmed was deeply involved in criminality and kept large quantities of drugs and cash at his luxurious Phuket villa outside of which he was gunned down at 10.20 pm on Friday, February 4th 2022, after he pulled up in his MG car.
Phuket tourist murder on Friday night was an international gangland hit on a known drug player
Death penalty may be a problem as two hitmen in the Sandhu case are named by police seeking arrests of the pair
Sandhu had been previously deported from Canada to India in 2016.
Sandhu thought to have made enemies in British Columbia while engaged in gangland crime and violence there resulting in last year’s contract killing
He was involved in gangland crime in British Columbia. This is where he is believed to have developed enemies in rival gangs who are believed to have been behind his murder last year.
At the time of his demise in Thailand, Sandhu was on the run from Indian authorities who wanted to question him about drug trafficking and was said to be travelling between Dubai and countries in Southeast Asia in a nomadic lifestyle paid for by his illicit drugs cash flow.
The final decision to deport Mr Dupre to Thailand is believed to have been taken by Canada’s Federal Justice Minister Mr David Lametti who, it is thought, may have received assurances from Thai authorities on the application of the death penalty in the case.
However, in February, his lawyer Maurice Collard denied that any such assurance had been given by officials in Bangkok.
‘Despite published journalism to the contrary, to my knowledge, no assurance has been given to not seek the death penalty by the Kingdom of Thailand,’ Collard told the Toronto Star newspaper. ‘Mr Dupre has full confidence in his innocence and his legal team.’
Extradition carried out under the terms of the treaty and laws in force between Thailand and Canada
The extradition of the Canadian last Sunday night followed a request from the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) in Bangkok to Canadian officials in February 2022 together with the appropriate arrest warrants under the requirements of the extradition law between the two countries which, for Thailand, is the 2008 Extradition Act.
Canada is one of fourteen countries with an extradition treaty in place with the kingdom.
These are Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The extradition itself was carried out by a team that was sent to Canada aboard a special Airbus A340 flight to recover the suspect including a 10-member team from the elite Hanuman special weapons and tactical force and a crew of 30 with the Royal Thai Air Force.
The tactical force was led by Police Colonel Wichak Tarom of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).
Special flight landed back on Sunday at Don Mueang
The flight landed back at Don Mueang Airport at the Wing 6 terminal at 11 pm on Sunday and the detained man was taken into the custody of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau.
37-year-old Mr Dupre also worked previously as a professional soldier in Iraq, employed by a private security firm after he left an elite force within the Canadian Armed Forces.
Amongst the evidence submitted by the Royal Thai Police to Canadian authorities amongst fingerprints, CCTV photos and witness statements, was a clear CCTV shot showing a distinctive tattoo on the suspected killer’s right arm from his shoulder to his wrist through which the Thai police were quietly confident he was the man wanted for the callous late-night murder of the underworld figure in Phuket.
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Further reading:
Canadian hitmen ‘suicidal’ as cops open murder conspiracy case after Thai police tour de force
Phuket tourist murder on Friday night was an international gangland hit on a known drug player
Drug trafficking convictions linked with Pattaya Hells Angels Biker plot quashed by Supreme Court
‘Lupus Taiwan’ drug fiend and K Nompong mixer arrested by police squad including the Police Chief
