A UCSB student was arrested on Monday for his alleged involvement in an international drug-trafficking ring that shipped ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana between Canada and the United States.

According to a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Alexander Chiang Pou, 19, was apprehended based on evidence gathered during a two-year federal investigation dubbed “Operation Candystore.” The DEA report states that Pou was involved in a series of drug transactions with Temple City-based distributor Jerry Fanyuan Lin, 32.

Operation Candystore resulted in one indictment that names 18 defendants and consists of eight charges: one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute ecstasy, cocaine and methamphetamine; two counts of possession with intent to distribute ecstasy; three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine and money laundering.

Pou and the other defendants made their first appearance in Federal Court in Santa Ana on Tuesday. If convicted of the charges, most of the defendants would face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in a federal prison, according to the DEA report.

–Staff Report

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