Lai Changxing, who has long been considered one of China's most wanted fugitives and who is suspected of having masterminded an extensive smuggling network based in Xiamen, Fujian province, is facing deportation from Canada back to China later this month.

Lai was arrested at about 1 pm on Thursday, according to foreign media reports. He is understood to be planning to appeal to stay in Canada during a one-day Federal Court hearing on July 21.

If Lai loses the appeal, the tentative date for his return to China is July 25, said a Canadian Border Services Agency official.