Fugitive extradited from Canada pleads guilty to drug importation

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Canadian man has pleaded guilty to importing ecstasy illegally into the United States. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine of $2 million. This investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to court documents, on Dec. 30, 2006, Andrew Lee Wayne, 24, of Toronto, Ontario, attempted to enter the United States from Canada at the Lewiston Bridge Port of Entry. During a secondary inspection, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer discovered a plastic bag in Wayne's jacket that contained approximately 1,800 ecstasy tablets.

The defendant admitted that he was holding ecstasy pills. Wayne was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury but during the course of the criminal proceedings, the defendant failed to return to the United States for prosecution and was declared a fugitive.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York, applied for a warrant of extradition from Canada, and Wayne was returned on that warrant on May 25, 2011.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Clare Kane is prosecuting this case on behalf of the U.S. government.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2012.