Mexican officials have apprehended a Canadian fugitive sought since 2022 in connection with an investigation into an international drug trafficking ring that transported narcotics to Manitoba. Denis Ivziku was taken into custody on May 14 in Quintana Roo, Mexico, as confirmed by Canada’s Justice Department. He is now undergoing extradition procedures and is charged in Canada with conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance and conspiracy to possess proceeds obtained through criminal activities, according to a statement released by the department to CBC.
Manitoba RCMP had identified Ivziku, hailing from British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, in relation to Project Divergent in 2022. This multi-year investigation, initiated in 2018, targeted an international drug trafficking network linked to Mexican cartels that smuggled drugs into Manitoba for distribution across the nation.
Although 20 arrests were made in connection with the operation in 2022, Ivziku had evaded capture and has been on the lam since. During a court proceeding last year involving Damion Ryan, a senior member of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang apprehended during Project Divergent, it was revealed that Ivziku had sold significant quantities of methamphetamine to an informant cooperating with the RCMP.
Crown attorneys disclosed during the trial that Ivziku, also known as “Menace” and “Elvis P,” is Ryan’s brother-in-law and was identified as “Super Gremlin” in documents related to Project Divergent. Ryan was convicted last year for his involvement in trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, as well as profiting from organized crime activities.
Mexican authorities announced on May 15 that a man had been arrested in Quintana Roo, identified as “Denis N” in the news release, believed to be Ivziku by local media reports. The arrest followed the execution of a warrant for an individual allegedly involved in significant violence on an international scale, leading a criminal group engaged in drug trafficking and extortion operations. The detained person was purportedly connected to a criminal organization posing as a motorcycle club, with Benito Juárez municipality identified as his primary operating area.
The arrest was facilitated through information sharing between Mexican authorities and the RCMP. The release indicated that the individual was wanted by Canadian law enforcement for charges related to international drug and firearm trafficking, with an outstanding Interpol notice and an active extradition request against him.