Convicted Canadian cocaine trafficker catches break as ICE returns him to Ontario
The man was caught with 125 pounds of cocaine and sentenced to 10 years but may serve much less time now thanks to Donald Trump
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A 32-year-old Canadian man imprisoned in New York State for trafficking a large amount of cocaine in 2022 has been sent back to Canada by ICE to serve out the remainder of his sentence.
And under Canada’s judicial system, the transfer means the Ontario man will potentially be freed as soon as next year instead of remaining locked up south of the border until 2032 – all thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been actively deporting “criminal aliens” who pose a risk to national security since Trump was returned to the White House in January, has released a statement explaining the removal of Christopher Anthony Frater to his “home country” on Friday was part of the Canadian Treaty Transfer program.
“ICE located Frater in U.S. Bureau of Prisons custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Ray Brook, N.Y. (west of Lake Placid) and, based on his alien status and federal conviction, concluded he was amenable to removal,” ICE said. “Frater will serve the remainder of his federal sentence in Canada for illicit trafficking of a controlled substance.”
A statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Nebraska 18 months ago said the Canadian citizen had been driving a 2021 Nissan Maxima with Virginia licence plates on I-80 in Sarpy County when an Omaha Police officer pulled him over for committing several traffic violations on July 13, 2022 – two days after he had entered the country.
“During the traffic stop, the officer learned that (Frater) was driving a rental vehicle, one way from Los Angeles, Calif., to New York,” U.S. authorities stated at the time.
“Frater made inconsistent statements about the purpose and timing of his travel, which raised the officer’s suspicions. As a result, a K-9 sniff of the rental vehicle occurred and the K-9 positively alerted to the scent of narcotics in the vehicle.”
Officers searched the vehicle and found three Home Depot boxes in the trunk containing more than 125 pounds of cocaine.
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced on Sept. 18, 2023, that Frater had been convicted in federal court in Omaha, Neb., for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine.
Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. sentenced Frater to 10 years in prison on Sept. 14, 2023.
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“There is no parole in the federal system,” Lehr said at the time. “After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.”
ICE removed Frater via the Ogdensburg, N.Y.–Prescott, Ont. port of entry and turned him over to Canadian authorities on March 7.
And now that he’s serving his time under the jurisdiction of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), the convicted cocaine trafficker stands to benefit from a far more lenient justice system.
“Upon transfer, the completion of a sentence is carried out according to the laws and procedures of Canada,” the CSC said in a statement to The Toronto Sun.
The CSC said Frater will now be eligible for day parole on Jan. 26, 2026; full parole on July 7, 2026; and statutory release on Oct. 26, 2029.
“All conditional release decisions, including day parole and full parole, are made by the Parole Board of Canada (PBC), which assess each case based on risk and rehabilitation factors,” the CSC explained. “Additionally, for statutory release, the PBC has the authority to impose specific conditions to ensure public safety and support successful reintegration of offenders into the community.”
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