Ghanaian Jailed in Canada After 16 Trips with Fake Passport

A 22-year-old Ghanaian, Jefferson Zormelo, has been handed a two-year prison sentence in Canada after using a fraudulent Canadian passport to enter and leave the country 16 times.

Zormelo, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to violating the Canadian Citizenship Act, was sentenced on Monday, November 9, 2026, by Justice Karen Molle in Calgary, Alberta.

The case has raised concerns about the security of Canada’s citizenship system, with the presiding judge warning that passport fraud goes beyond breaking immigration rules and could threaten public safety and national security.

Justice Molle said the offence also risked damaging Canada’s international reputation.

With credit for time already spent in custody following his arrest, Zormelo has approximately 14 months left to serve behind bars.

Court documents indicate that Zormelo arrived in Canada in 2021 on a study permit. However, his immigration troubles began in 2024 when authorities discovered that he was no longer enrolled in school and issued an exclusion order for his removal from the country.

Rather than face the consequences of his immigration status, Zormelo allegedly took a fraudulent route to remain connected to Canada.

According to an agreed statement of facts filed in court, he obtained identification documents, including proof of Canadian citizenship, using a false identity.

He subsequently secured a Canadian passport in December 2024 under the name Mitchell Leblanc.

What followed was a series of repeated international journeys. Over approximately 15 months, Zormelo used the passport to enter and leave Canada 16 times through international airports in Montreal, Toronto and Halifax.

His run eventually came to an end in April 2026 when officers of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) arrested him in Calgary.

The arrest followed an incident in which he presented a fraudulent permanent resident card bearing the Leblanc identity to officials at the United States Consulate.

A search of his hotel room later uncovered the fraudulent Canadian passport and other items.

During sentencing, prosecutor Tyler Lord pushed for a five-year prison term, while defence lawyer Devin Frank asked the court to consider a sentence equivalent to the period Zormelo had already spent in custody.

His lawyer appealed for leniency, pointing to his difficult upbringing in Ghana, which reportedly included poverty and abuse.

Justice Molle acknowledged that Zormelo had been desperate to live and work in Canada but said the elaborate nature of the fraud was a serious aggravating factor.

Emphasising the potential danger posed by people who use their intelligence to carry out complex criminal schemes, she warned: “Clever criminals pose a greater risk to public safety,” she said.

For Zormelo, the passport that opened doors to repeated international journeys has ultimately led him to a prison cell.