SEATTLE — A British Columbia man convicted of leading a cocaine and ecstasy smuggling ring has been sentenced to 13 year in a U.S. prison.
U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes says Kevin Kerfoot, 53, of Surrey organized an operation smuggle 41 kilograms of cocaine to Canada from Washington state in 2005.
A news release says Kerfoot was indicted in July 2006, nine months after others involved in the operation were arrested in the Bellingham, Wash., area while attempting to get the cocaine on a boat to Canada.
The boat operator was also bringing more than seven kilograms of ecstasy into the U.S. for distribution through Kerfoot's drug network.
The release says Kerfoot fought extradition from Canada for more than a decade but eventually exhausted his options, leading him to plead guilty in U.S. court in April.
Other members of the smuggling ring, including the boat operator, were sentenced to prison terms ranging three years to more than six years, but have since been released for serving their time.
"This defendant tried to avoid facing the music by getting people to lie during his Canadian extradition proceedings," said Hayes.
"Perhaps he thought he could fight a war of attrition - but this office and our law enforcement partners are committed to holding leaders of drug trafficking organizations responsible for the poison they spread both here and in Canada."
