A murder suspect, who recently arrived back in Thailand after being extradited from Canada, has now been formally charged with killing an Indian/Canadian gangster in Phuket last year. The case dates back to February 15, 2022, when fellow British Columbia gangster Jimi Sandhu was gunned down outside his villa in Rawai after arriving home in the evening.
According to an AFP report, 38 year old Matthew Dupre denies all charges against him. National police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas has described him as a “mercenary”. It’s understood the suspect is a former soldier, who has served in number of countries, including Afghanistan.
“He is quite a key suspect and a professional mercenary. He flew in to finish his job, and did not even bring a weapon.”
Damrongsak says the investigation into who supplied Dupre with the murder weapon is ongoing. Last year, Interpol issued a red notice for the Canadian, who fled Thailand immediately following Sandhu’s murder.
Last December, a court in the Canadian province of Alberta approved his extradition back to the kingdom. He arrived in Bangkok on a specially chartered Royal Thai Air Force plane on Sunday evening.
Damrongsak has confirmed that no commercial carriers wanted to transport the suspect, due to security fears.
“It is a difficult case; no commercial flights or countries allowed the plane to refuel as they were concerned about hostage-taking.”
Dupre has been charged with premediated murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and firing a gun. The terms of his extradition from Canada dictate that he will not face the death penalty.
SOURCE: AFP
