A man who was No. 2 on the list of Canada’s 25 most-wanted fugitives in relation to the killing of an Abbotsford gangster in Thailand has died in a plane crash in Ontario, police have confirmed.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said in a statement on Tuesday (May 3) that Gene Karl Lahrkamp of Trail, B.C. was one of four people who died when a small plane crashed Saturday (April 30) near Sioux Lookout in northwestern Ontario.
Lahrkamp, 36, was wanted in relation to the shooting death of Jimi Sandhu, 32, at a beachside resort in Rawai, Phuket on Feb. 5.
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His co-accused, Matthew Leandre Ovide Dupre, was arrested Feb. 20 in Edmonton and remains in custody, awaiting possible extradition.
Both Lahrkamp and Dupre are former members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Crime Stoppers’ Be on the Lookout program announced April 26 that a $100,000 reward was being offered for information leading to Lahrkamp’s arrest.
Media reports from Ontario indicate that the wreckage of the Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane was found by authorities on Saturday after the aircraft was overdue to land.
The plane was travelling between the towns of Dryden and Marathon, according to the reports.
The crash site is about 450 kilometres east of Winnipeg.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is now investigating, and no further details have been released.
vhopes@abbynews.com
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