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A B.C. man who has been linked to the Independent Soldiers gang is facing drug smuggling charges in Thailand.

Blair Curtis Stephens, 38, was arrested earlier this month in Bangkok, along with a Thai national. The head of the Thai Office of Narcotics Control Board said other Canadians are also involved in the smuggling operation, which was allegedly mailing heroin hidden in shock absorbers from Thailand to Australia.

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B.C.’s anti-gang agency says Stephens left Canada about six years ago when he became the focus of law enforcement in this province.

“Blair Stephens is well known to police, has criminal connections, and has a significant criminal history related to the Okanagan area,” Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said Tuesday.

She said Stephens moved to Thailand in about 2013 “after increased attention due to his criminal activity” in Canada.

“Yet again, we have an example of an individual fleeing to another country escaping their criminality and associated violence. However, as we have seen so many times before, their criminal activity catches up with them and in this case, resulted in an arrest and potential penalties in a foreign country,” she said.