A 35-year-old Brampton, Ont., man is facing charges in connection with $6.5 million worth of cocaine intercepted by federal authorities at a Niagara-on-the-Lake border crossing.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers thwarted the alleged drug run last September, the agency said in a news release this week.
CBSA officers searched the vehicle of a commercial truck driver that arrived at the primary inspection booth at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge entry on Sept. 26. The search revealed 202 brick-shaped objects, which tested positive for suspected cocaine with a total weight of 233 kilograms.
The driver was arrested by CBSA and was transferred to the custody of the RCMP Border Integrity Unit.
After a “thorough investigation,” the RCMP charged 35-year-old Brampton resident Sukhwinder Dhanju on Dec. 19 with offences related to drug importation and trafficking, said CBSA.
“The diligence of our border services officers led to this significant seizure of cocaine,” wrote CBSA district director Jeff Walters in the release. “Our work with the RCMP is key to dismantling smuggling efforts and keeping harmful drugs out of our communities.”
Mr. Dhanju has been released from custody with “strict conditions,” and is due to appear in a St. Catharines, Ont., courthouse in February, the press release said.
Mr. Dhanju is the second Brampton resident to be charged with drug importation and trafficking last month.
CBSA officers arrested a Brampton man at the Blue Water Bridge in Ontario on Dec. 4, after discovering 52 kilograms of suspected cocaine in a commercial truck during a secondary inspection, the agency said in a Dec. 20 news release.
Manpreet Singh, 27, was taken into custody by the RCMP and now faces charges of importation and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Mr. Singh has not been convicted and the issue is before the court.
Five truck drivers were charged last year with attempting to import illegal drugs into Canada via the Blue Water Bridge, which connects Sarnia and Michigan.
“Border services officers are highly trained in detecting concealed contraband and are committed to protecting the integrity of Canada’s borders,” said CBSA Pacific Region director general Nina Patel.
The CBSA reported 6,389 illegal narcotic seizures between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2023. The agency’s 2023 year in review statistics revealed its officers made 8,212 illegal drug seizures last year, which included 1,475 kilograms of cocaine, 88 kilograms of heroin, 0.56 kilograms of fentanyl, and 2,701 kilograms of other opioids such as methadone and morphine. There were also 46,451 kilograms of other unnamed drugs, narcotics, and chemicals seized.
