Christopher Bantli, Fentanyl Trafficking, District of Columbia 2019

A prolific vendor of various controlled substances has been extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges filed in the District of Columbia.

On January 24, Canadian authorities extradited Christopher Bantli, 39, to the United States to face charges filed in the District of Columbia. Bantli is charged in a seven-count indictment alleging that from November 2015 through September 2016, he imported into the United States from Canada and elsewhere various controlled substances, including powerful synthetic opiates such as acetyl fentanyl.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in cooperation with Canadian law enforcement authorities. Trial Attorney Brian Nicholson of the Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in bringing Bantli to the United States and procuring foreign evidence during the investigation.

The U.S. Marshals Service provided critical assistance by assisting in the extradition. The U.S. Department of Justice thanks the Government of Canada for its assistance in this case, in particular the Calgary Police Service Cybercrime Support Team.

This case is also the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations and enterprises.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Bantli made an initial appearance on January 25 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robinson in federal court in Washington, D.C.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Marcus Anderson of the DEA’s Orlando Field Office made the announcement.