A B.C. man who fought his extradition to the U.S. for years has pleaded guilty to having a leadership role in a massive helicopter drug smuggling operation.

Sean William Doak, 41, appeared in a Seattle courtroom Monday to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 2016.

During a two-week period in 2009, Doak made arrangements to smuggle shipments of cocaine and marijuana worth between $4 million and $5 million Cdn, his plea agreement says.

"He received and transmitted messages among members of the conspiracy, and unwittingly with an undercover agent, via BlackBerry devices and that he used the monikers Physician and Callisto," the court documents says. "During the messages, Doak confirmed anticipated exchanges of cocaine and marijuana, estimated the value of the seized drugs at four to five million dollars Canadian, and urged the co-conspirators to work together 'as a team' when faced with law enforcement detection and seizures."

And there were a lot of seizures.

Between March 2008 and March 2009, U.S. agents seized 240,000 ecstasy pills, 175 kg of cocaine and 358 kg of marijuana from the B.C.-based drug gang.

The seizures took place in Washington, Idaho, Utah and California, as well as in Nelson, B.C.

Doak, who was hoping to overturn B.C. court decisions ordering his extradition, took his case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

But in October, the country's highest court refused to grant leave to appeal and Doak was surrendered to U.S. officials.

Doak, along with B.C. men Colin Hugh Martin, James Gregory Cameron and Adam Christian Serrano, was charged in December 2009 as conspirators in the smuggling operation allegedly headed by Martin.

U.S. court documents say the group smuggled hundreds of kilograms of marijuana and cocaine using at least two helicopters to transport their illicit product.

The pilot of one of those helicopters, Sam Brown, hanged himself in a Spokane jail after being arrested in February 2009 in the midst of a cross-border run.

A second B.C. pilot, Jeremy Snow, was also caught flying drugs into Idaho from B.C. in March 2009. After serving a 46-month sentence, he returned to B.C., where he was shot to death in February 2013.

The court documents allege Martin sent helicopters he leased for his company, Gorge Timber, full of pot and ecstasy to remote landing sites in Washington and Idaho. The gang is alleged to have brought back to B.C. as much as 300 kilograms of cocaine each week.

Both Doak and Martin have previous trafficking convictions in B.C.

Doak was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court in May 2007 to seven years for leading a "massive conspiracy to transport tons of marijuana from British Columbia into the United States" over at least an 18-month period.

He served only 14 months before getting day parole.

And within a year, he was back involved in the cross-border drug business.

His co-accused in the most recent case — Martin and Cameron — continue to fight their extradition.

Serrano pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in June 2013 to one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to three years in prison.

kbolan@vancouversun.com

Blog: The Real Scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

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