A West Kelowna drug dealer who allegedly spent several months on the lam after taking off before a drug-related sentencing hearing has been arrested in the Lower Mainland.
Forty-year-old Leslie McCulloch, also known as Alexander Lester Kreed, was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant issued on March 27.
The former Hells Angels associate also earned himself a spot on the Crime Stoppers most wanted list after failing to attend a court appearance for producing drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
WATCH (January 2019): Warrant issued for West Kelowna drug dealer
Leslie McCulloch and his girlfriend, Rebekka Rae White, were arrested in March of 2016 after a police raid at a West Kelowna automobile restoration shop.
Mounties executed a search warrant at West Kelowna’s Kandy and Krome Kustoms, which is owned by McCulloch. They also executed a search warrant at McCulloch’s home.
RCMP said at the time that they seized about eight kg of suspected fentanyl, hundreds of fake Oxycontin and Percocet pills, two industrial pill presses and $40,000 in the two locations.
“Police estimate that this operation has potentially produced hundreds of thousands of pills, likely distributed locally and possibly beyond,” said Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Alex Lynch in a previous news release.
According to parole board documents “it was suggested that (McCulloch) had been importing fentanyl from China and making Percocet and Oxycontin pills.”
“Police seized an estimated $940,000 considered to be proceeds of crime.”
McCulloch pleaded guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking and production of a controlled substance in February of 2017, and later tried unsuccessfully to take back that plea.
WATCH (September 2016): Accused Okanagan drug dealer former Hells Angels employee
Earlier this year, McCulloch was scheduled for a court appearance ahead of his January 28 sentencing date.
He didn’t show up.
A team of Kelowna Mounties were deployed to the Lower Mainland to track him down.
On Sunday, a contingent of covert surveillance RCMP officers from the drug section of the Kelowna RCMP’s Street Enforcement Unit (SEU) arrested McCulloch inside a restaurant located in the 6000-block of 200 Street in the Langley area.
“Leslie McCulloch was arrested without any incident, by our team of plain clothes officers,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey in a statement.
McCulloch was turned over to the Langley RCMP and remains in custody. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.
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