A Vancouver man has been murdered in Colombia, according to media reports in the South American country.
El Tiempo newspaper reported that the stabbed and burned body of 47-year-old Richard Yen Fat Chiu was found on June 20 in the northeastern city of Cúcuta, located near the border Venezuelan border, one day after arriving in the country.
Cúcuta metropolitan police Colonel José Luis Palomino López told Caracol TV that Chiu had identified himself as part of a transport company that sold fruits and vegetables.
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In 2002, Chiu pleaded guilty to heroin trafficking charges in the U.S.
In Canada, Chiu was the subject of police probes into money laundering and drug trafficking.
He was linked to the so-called E-Pirate investigation that targeted Silver International, an alleged illegal money services business.
In 2017, Chiu’s wife Kimberly was the focus of a civil forfeiture case after Vancouver police seized more than $300,000 in cash found inside the Audi she was driving.
Both Vancouver police and the RCMP are not saying if Chiu’s death impacts any ongoing investigations.
— With files from Sam Cooper