A drug feud came to a gruesome end last week when a man claiming to be a former Marine allegedly hacked and dismembered a 43-year-old Canadian pre-school English teacher, according to numerous reports.

Ewart Odane Bent, 30, was arrested by Taiwanese authorities on Aug. 24 and is accused of murdering Ramgahan Sanjay Ryan after suspicions arose that Ryan was informing police about the involvement of Bent and his alleged accomplice, 37-year-old Israeli-American Oren Shlomo Mayer, in drug trafficking, the Taiwan News reported.

Mayer is believed to be on the run after fleeing to the Philippines, the Times of Israel reported. One other man, 21-year-old Wu Hsuan, was also arrested for allegedly assisting with the purchase of the murder weapons.

Ryan was out walking his dog the night of Aug. 21 when his alleged attackers ambushed him, took him to a secluded area and tied him up in chains. He had previously been arrested for possession of over 200 grams of marijuana, prompting the attackers' suspicion he cut a deal with police, the report said.

With Ryan chained, Bent and Mayer allegedly stabbed and hacked him to death with machetes before using a wire saw to sever his head and limbs, which they put into plastic bags and threw in an adjacent river, according to reports.

Authorities said the attackers then “happily” went to a nearby store to purchase celebratory beers, which they took back to Mayer’s residence.

Ryan’s dog “Lulu” barked throughout the entire ordeal, prompting one of the attackers to swing a machete at the canine, resulting in a deep laceration to its face, the report said. Despite the injury, Lulu ran home, where she was eventually found by a pair of Ryan’s concerned friends who were checking in after Ryan stopped responding to messages.

Knowing where Ryan typically took his dog for a walk, the friends took Lulu to the river, where she picked up Ryan’s scent and led them to his headless, limbless torso, discovered in a puddle next to the river, the report said.

Authorities then located three plastic bags nearby that contained Ryan’s severed limbs and head, according to the report.

As reports of the murder began surfacing in the news, Mayer, who was described in reports as the “largest supplier of marijuana in northern Taiwan,” grew paranoid and pleaded with Bent to flee with him to the Philippines.

Bent, who authorities said was initially invited to Taiwan to assist with Mayer’s drug business, refused to leave, believing their identities would remain undiscovered.

Bent was arrested two days later and was moved to the New Taipei Public Prosecutor’s Office. He has denied any wrongdoing, but had difficulty providing an alibi, the Taiwan News reported.

Surveillance footage from Aug. 23 allegedly shows Mayer arriving at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before catching a flight to the Philippines. Taiwan is working with the Philippine government to have Mayer extradited.

Bent’s Instagram profile has multiple references to his service in the Marine Corps, including a large “U.S.M.C” tattoo on his shoulder. The Taiwan Times reported he was stationed on Okinawa in 2008.

Attempts to contact Headquarters Marine Corps were made to inquire about Bent’s entire service record. Those attempts were unsuccessful as of publication.

Jon Simkins is a writer and editor for Military Times, and a USMC veteran.

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