Canadian military man confesses to gangster’s murder in Thailand
A former Canadian soldier pleaded guilty in Bangkok for his role in the February 2022 murder of notorious British Columbia gangster Jimi Sandhu. Matthew Dupre, hailing from Sylvan Lake, Alberta, admitted his involvement on the trial’s opening day, June 27.
The dramatic hit occurred at a beachfront resort in Phuket, captured on CCTV. Sandhu, staying in a private waterfront villa, was targeted in the resort’s parking area. Investigations revealed a fake Canadian ID and cash in the villa. Sergeant Brenda Winpenny of the anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-B.C.) confirmed Dupre’s admission, linking the murder plot back to Canada.
“The guilty plea to the murder of Sandhu in Thailand speaks to the capabilities of CFSEU-B.C. when it comes to complex international investigations connected to the gang landscape and our ability to assist local and international agencies to advance investigations and hold individuals accountable.”
Sandhu, a United Nations gang member deported to India in 2016, was killed in a plot by the Canadian-based Wolfpack gang. Following his murder, police searched Dupre’s Alberta home, the Trail residence of co-accused Gene Lahrkamp, who later died in hiding, and another suspect’s Ontario home.
Dupre, extradited in May 2023, has been in Thai custody for 14 months. Thailand waived the death penalty in this high-profile case. The Royal Thai Police presented evidence, including surveillance videos, car rental and hotel records, and DNA and fingerprints.
Dupre and his former army buddy Lahrkamp arrived in Phuket on December 18, 2021. They returned to Canada on February 8, 2022, and were soon identified as suspects. Lahrkamp died in a plane crash near Sioux Lookout, Ontario, on April 30, 2022. Both had left the Canadian Armed Forces as corporals. Dupre’s LinkedIn reveals combat experience in Afghanistan, later working as a private military contractor in Syria and Iraq.
Sandhu was involved in the Southeast Asian drug trade, banned from Malaysia, and sought by Indian police. He rented the Phuket villa in November 2021, attended a lavish New Year’s Eve party in Bangkok, and returned to Phuket on January 27, 2022, just days before his murder, reported The Province.
UPDATE: Canadian hitman extradited to Thailand over Indian gangster’s murder in Phuket
Matthew Dupre, an alleged contract killer implicated in the murder of Canadian-Indian gangster Jimi Sandhu, back in February 2022, has been discreetly extradited to Thailand to face charges. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced that the Alberta Court in Canada agreed to send Dupre back to Thailand to face legal proceedings. Royal Thai Airforce Officers travelled to Vancouver to escort the suspect, whose plane arrived at Don Mueang International Airport on Sunday night. Over 100 Thai and Canadian officers secured the airport during the extradition process.
Matthew Dupre, a significant suspect on Interpol’s Red Notice, is a former soldier believed to be involved in transnational organised crime. He has allegedly committed crimes in several countries and has been hired as a ‘contact killer’ or gunman by various criminal organisations. Security was tightened during his transportation due to concerns that he could be targeted for assassination.
Jimi ‘Slice’ Sandhu, who had been deported from Canada in 2016, was travelling between Dubai and Southeast Asia until he was shot ten times in the parking zone of his beachfront villa on Rawai Beach on February 4, 2022. His body wasn’t discovered until the next day, with about 20 bullet casings found at the crime scene. The two shooters, believed to be linked to crime gangs in British Columbia and connected to the military, arrived in Phuket six weeks prior to the attack and left two days after it occurred.
CCTV recordings revealed the men, wearing white hoodies, beige shorts, and black flip-flops, walking toward Sandhu’s villa where he had just arrived in a rented red SUV. The hoodies were later found in a rubber plantation 200 meters from the crime scene. Following an investigation, one of the suspects, Matthew Dupre, was identified, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on February 11, 2022.
Dupre and his alleged accomplice, Gene Lahrkamp, had left Thailand for Canada on February 6. The Royal Thai Police requested Dupre’s extradition, leading to his arrest in Alberta, Canada, on February 20, 2022, and the Court of Alberta later approved the extradition. Lahrkamp, the second suspect in the case, died in a small-plane crash in Canada in May 2022.
UPDATE: Suspected Jimi Sandhu hitman in Canadian jail wants to face trial in Thailand
A Canadian man accused of being a hitman in the murder of Indian gangster Jimi Sandhu in Phuket last year said he wants to face trial in Thailand despite having to potentially face the death penalty.
Canadian Forces veteran Matthew Dupre is one suspect accused of murdering Sandu in February last year on behalf of a Canadian-based gang.
Sandu did not look concerned as he parked his rental car outside a luxury villa in Phuket at 10.32pm on February 4, 2022.
Moments later two gunmen jumped out from around the corner and shot Sandhu 10 times until he dropped dead, captured by CCTV footage.
After moving from India to British Columbia at seven years old, Sandhu was deported from Canada due to criminal activity in 2016 and managed to enter Thailand using a fake passport.
Sandu was part of the United Nations gang who were in a bloody war with the Wolfpack Alliance, two groups involved with drug trafficking.
Suspected hitman Dupre has been detained since his arrest in Alberta, Canada, on February 20, 2022. His next court date is on Monday.
Thai court requested to have Dupre, who denies the charges, extradited to Thailand where he possibly faces the death penalty. His lawyers were against it.
However, Dupre’s lawyer Maurice Collard said his client wants to face trial in Thailand to clear his name.
Dupre has “full confidence” in his innocence and the legal team said, Maurice.
Gene Karl Lahrkamp, the second suspected hitman in the case – also a Canadian Forces veteran – died in a plane crash in Ontario, Canada in May last year.
Dupre is “optimistic” about getting justice in Thailand, said his lawyer.
However, the Thai police are confident Dupre is the killer and claim they have “extensive” footage of the crime as well as DNA evidence found on discarded clothing and from inside a rental car used in the crime.
ORIGINAL STORY: Police in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu
Police have found two guns at a beach in Phuket which they believed were used in the recent murder of 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, a notorious gangster from Canada. Sandhu, who was born in India, was deported from Canada for “serious criminality” in 2016. He entered Thailand by private jet on January 27 carrying a fake Canadian passport with the name “Mandeep Singh.”
Officers used metal detectors to search the seaside by the Rawai beachfront villa where Sandhu was killed and found a semi-automatic Walther PPK and a CZ gun in the water. According to reports in Thai media, the guns were registered to Thais who were “influential” and they will be questioned. Police officers say that the two main suspects in the case travelled out of Thailand on February 6, according to reports.
Yesterday, police said they obtained video footage from CCTV cameras showing two men wearing white hoodies, with the hood pulled up, approaching the property from the bushes. Officers say the men shot Sandhu multiple times at 10.56pm last Friday before fleeing the scene. His body wasn’t found until the next morning in the villa’s parking lot.
According to the Vancouver Sun, Sandhu was a high-profile gangster who continued to influence British Columbia after he was deported.
