Kevin Hiebert serving a life sentence in a Greek prison for drug smuggling is now considered an international fugitive after he vanished last week

Kevin Hiebert serving a life sentence in a Greek prison for drug smuggling is now considered an international fugitive after he vanished last week after nine years in custody, the Winnipeg Free Press has learned.Kevin Hiebert, 35, had been pleading with the Canadian government to intervene in his case and arrange a prison transfer that would allow him to return to home soil. He doesn't deny criminal responsibility, but says he has served enough time for the crime.Hiebert had reportedly grown more desperate in recent weeks after conditions inside the prison deteriorated to the point where inmates began a hunger strike.Kevin Hiebert received a life sentence for smuggling 2 kg of cocaine into Greece.
Handout Hiebert's father signed him out of prison for an approved "vacation," which allows well-behaved inmates a temporary supervised release. He didn't return.
Hiebert's father, Dick, returned to his home in Texas over the weekend and has told friends he doesn't know where Kevin is."He has been ignored for a very long time," longtime friend and supporter Cam Patterson said Monday."What exactly brought this on, I can't say. Something has obviously pushed him to decide to do this. But I think we've left him there too long. It's a question of how much longer can he stay there until you lose the person completely?"Hiebert was one of seven Winnipeggers arrested for drug smuggling in late 1999 and early 2000, allegedly tied to the same smuggling operation. The RCMP said at the time that all were likely recruited on behalf of a Nigerian drug-trafficking ring operating out of Greece. The first four people arrested in September 1999 in Amsterdam led authorities to Hiebert. Police were waiting for him at the Athens airport as he tried to smuggle two kilograms of cocaine in the heels of three pairs of shoes.At Hiebert's trial the following September, his Greek lawyer told Hiebert he could expect a sentence of three to five years, but the judges shocked the courtroom when they imposed a life sentence, with no eligibility of parole for 10 to 15 years, and a $150,000 US fine.Hiebert - who had no prior criminal record - immediately wanted to appeal the sentence, but was told that hearing couldn't be held until 2005 at the earliest. He was told that his best bet would be to apply for a transfer to Canada, where he could serve his sentence in a Canadian prison. To do that, he would have to sign away his right to appeal.Hiebert's lawyer, Michael Mercury, said Canada has a prison-transfer treaty with Greece and Hiebert has applied three times - only to be rejected each time. Mercury said Greek officials told him the opposition came from Ottawa.