THREE drug traffickers, including Tariq Aslam of Surrey, have been sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison after they were convicted last August following a 2010 seizure of 97 kilograms of cocaine.
Salvador Ascencio-Chavez, 47, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 13 years. On October 1, in Kelowna, Clifford Roger Montgomery, 37, was sentenced to 14 years, while on October 10, in Vancouver, Tariq Aslam, 36, was sentenced to seven years.
The Kelowna-destined cocaine was being imported to Canada from Argentina, when it was seized by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers at Vancouver International Airport’s Air Cargo Operation.
CBSA Officers used deep concealment tools to detect the cocaine hidden inside the drums of the fruit crushing machine, which launched an elaborate RCMP investigation.
Montgomery and Ascencio-Chavez were each convicted for possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) for the purpose of trafficking, conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance (cocaine) and conspiracy to import a controlled substance (cocaine).
Aslam was convicted for possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance (cocaine).
“These convictions were the result of a lengthy, intense, and highly complex investigation involving collaboration between the RCMP Federal and Serious Organized Crime (FSOC) Section in Kelowna, CBSA, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC), and several Southeast District RCMP detachments and assisting units,” said FSOC Insp. Brian Gateley. “The successful prosecution for importation is especially significant as it highlights the effectiveness of working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners in order to disrupt international drug trafficking activities.”