Dmytro Nikolaiev, 46, allegedly hid 115 kilograms of methamphetamine in pickle jars and attempted to ship the load to Australia through the Port of Vancouver
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A Kelowna resident and Ukrainian citizen is set to be deported Sept. 14 after his arrest following an international methamphetamine smuggling investigation earlier this year.
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Dmytro Nikolaiev, 46, allegedly hid 115 kilograms of methamphetamine in pickle jars and attempted to ship the load to Australia through the Port of Vancouver.
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But the meth was intercepted at the Tsawwassen container terminal in January 2026 after a year-long joint investigation between the RCMP and the Australian Federal Police.
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Both the RCMP and Australian police released some details of the investigation in March, announcing that two men had been arrested March 17 in Australia, while a foreign national was picked up the same day in Kelowna. No names were provided at the time.
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Sunrise
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But Nikolaiev is identified as the foreign national in both Federal Court of Canada documents obtained by Postmedia as well as in a B.C. Supreme Court lawsuit recently filed by the director of civil forfeiture.
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The Federal Court filings said that Nikolaiev arrived in B.C. in May 2023 under the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel after living in Peru for seven years. His estranged wife and son also moved to B.C., first living in Osoyoos before moving to Kelowna.
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While Nikolaiev has not been charged in the meth smuggling case, his alleged involvement is detailed in Canada Border Services Agency documents.
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The joint investigation “identified a group of unknown participants through a digital messaging platform,” the documents said. “Investigators noted that there were multiple discussions about importing drugs to Australia from several other countries.”
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A B.C. company formed in July 2024, called Luxury Harvest And Heat Ltd. “was identified as the Canadian company intent on exporting drugs to Australia.”
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Corporate records show the company has a single director based in Poland, but the company’s address is listed as a warehouse at 30610 Progressive Way in Abbotsford, where police later covertly watched Nikolaiev.
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“The investigation uncovered that the Australian buyer paid for two ‘dry runs’ of bottled water and canned goods shipped by Luxury Harvest And Heat Ltd. that did not contain any drugs. Additionally, investigators learned that the ‘live run’ would be a shipment containing methamphetamine concealed within pickle jars, alongside canned goods.”
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In January 2026, police saw Nikolaiev “direct the loading of canned beans and jars of pickles onto a truck” at the Abbotsford warehouse.
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Police followed him to another warehouse in Lower Nicola, B.C. where canning materials were later located when search warrants were executed in March. Both warehouses had been rented by Nikolaiev using the name Andreas Lechner.
