YET another truck driver has been nabbed at the Canada-U.S. border in B.C. allegedly trying to smuggle deadly cocaine into this country.
On May 9, trucker Ajitpal Sanghera of Canada was arrested after U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations-Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Pacific Highway Truck Crossing in Blaine, allegedly found 60.64 kilograms of cocaine in the tractor-trailer he was driving to Canada.
On Wednesday, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that 20 bricks of suspected cocaine were seized on May 1 at the Pacific Highway Port of Entry’s Commercial Operations.
Working collaboratively with the CBSA Pacific Region Intelligence Section, border services officers conducted an examination on a commercial tractor-trailer and noticed anomalies. With the help of a CBSA detector dog, 20 bricks of suspected cocaine were discovered. The total weight of the bricks was approximately 20 kilograms. The CBSA estimates that this quantity of suspected cocaine would be worth over $2.5 million.
The driver was arrested, the drugs seized and both were turned over to the RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime unit for further criminal investigation.
Daniela Evans, Director, CBSA’s Pacific Highway District, said: “Our border services officers and intelligence officers are working around the clock to make sure that goods continue to enter Canada and that the illegal goods stay out. This seizure of suspected cocaine demonstrates their dedication to keep our communities safe and I am proud to be working alongside them.”
Anyone with information about suspicious cross-border activity is encouraged to call the CBSA Border Watch Toll-free Line at 1-888-502-9060.