The man accused of heading a criminal organization will remain in police custody until at least Wednesday.
John Harry Tsekouras was arrested last Wednesday at the Balmoral Street police station and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to kidnap.
The 39-year-old Thunder Bay man was originally charged in April 2012 for his alleged role in a major drug trafficking network. It is alleged that Tsekouras was the head of a criminal organization.
The initial charges were the result of a major police investigation dubbed Project Dolphin, a massive police operation that began in 2010 and involved multiple police forces including the Thunder Bay Police Service, RCMP and OPP.
Tsekouras appeared via video in bail court at the Ontario Court of Justice Monday to faces the new charges he now faces. He was remanded in custody until Wednesday.
On Thursday, city police spokesman Chris Adams told media that new evidence came forward indicating that the accused was involved in a plot to kidnap and murder a specific individual.
“These charges are quite serious,” Adams said Thursday. ““The scope of the charges today also include participating in a criminal organization and it is alleged that he’s the director of this criminal organization. This is just a major case and we are pretty confident that the evidence that has been gathered to date.”
The intended kidnapping and murder did not occur, and Adams said he could not reveal the country of origin, or any other information, about the intended victim.
