Toronto man arrested in MV Sun Sea human smuggling case - RCMP

The investigation into the human smuggling ring behind the MV Sun Sea, which brought 492 asylum seekers to Canada in 2010, has ended with charges against two Canadians and four Sri Lankans.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested a 55-year-old man in Ontario Tuesday and issued warrants for two more suspects, bringing the number to six of alleged people smugglers the Crown intends to prosecute over the Sun Sea. Superintendent Derek Simmonds, head of the RCMP's Federal Border Integrity Programme in British Columbia, said in a statement on Wednesday, that the "investigative phase" of the Sun Sea probe was winding down and he did not expect further charges.

"I am not able to provide details of the roles each of these six individuals played, but I can inform you they represent not only the leadership aboard the vessel, but also the organizers from Canada and internationally," he said. But only three were in Canadian custody: The ship's owner, Kunarobinson Christhurajah; an alleged crew member, Lesly Jana Emmanuel and Thampeernayagam Rajaratnam, a Canadian who lived in Markham, Ont.

A fourth suspect, Thayakaran Markandu, was picked up in Paris on March 29, after a brief international manhunt and Canada has requested his extradition. Police believe the remaining pair, Nadarajah Mahendran and Sathyapavan Aseervatham, are not in Canada.

"Efforts to confirm their location and legal options to have them returned to Canada to face their charges will continue," Supt. Simmonds said. All face possible sentences of life imprisonment and $1-million in fines if convicted. The charges announced on Wednesday are the first against Canadians implicated in the Sun Sea. Mahendran, 56, is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian and former owner of SRV Convenience Plus, a shop in the heart of Toronto's Tamil-Canadian neighbourhood.

Neighbours said he imported South Asian clothing and travelled frequently. He was living in Ajax, Ont., last year when a National Post reporter asked him about his involvement with the Sun Sea.

He declined to comment, as did Rajaratnam. But documents show the Canadians were rounded up together by Royal Thai Police in Bangkok two years ago, as part of an investigation into the Sun Sea smuggling operation. At the time, Thai police, the RCMP and Australian Federal Police were investigating the ship, although it had not yet sailed.