Canada orders deportation of Toronto man who helped Iran evade sanctions

A former Tehran police lieutenant living in Toronto under a new name is being deported from Canada for his “important and critical role” in a crime group that helped Iran evade sanctions.

The Immigration and Refugee Board ruled that Amin Yousefijam was “crucial” to the sanctions-dodging scheme, according to a copy of the 36-page decision released to Global News on Tuesday. The IRB ruled that the Iranian citizen, who has resided in Canada since 2016, was the group’s logistician and oversaw shipping arrangements for the transnational procurement operation. The electronics, motors and other materials he exported to Iran were “dual-use,” meaning they had both civilian and military applications, and could be harnessed to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. “Yousefijam is a member of an organization that engaged in criminal activity that directly contravened sanctions imposed by Canada and the U. S. A. against the export of certain items to Iran,” IRB Member Christopher Marcinkiewicz wrote. Story continues below advertisement