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Indian-origin man arrested in Canada for smuggling 112 kg cocaine worth $14 mn
Pardeep Singh, 24, was arrested after a commercial truck driven by him entered Canada at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie in Ontario and was pulled aside for a secondary examination.
An Indian-origin man has been arrested in Canada for allegedly smuggling about 112.5 kg of cocaine into the country from the United States. Pardeep Singh, 24, was arrested after a commercial truck driven by him entered Canada at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie in Ontario and was pulled aside for a secondary examination.
Border agents discovered the cocaine, estimated at $14 million, inside five duffle bags, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said in a statement. Singh was arrested and transferred to the custody of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He has been charged with the importation of a controlled substance, contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
CBSA district director Kim Upper hailed the seizure as an “integral role” of the agency in safeguarding the borders. “Our officers have interrupted the smuggling attempt of a massive amount of narcotics, and have put a full stop to the ripple effect these narcotics would have in neighborhoods across our country,” Upper said in a statement.
Singh is set to make a court appearance in St Catharines on Friday.
Despite border restrictions in place due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, commercial traffic remains open to maintain the flow of goods including food and medical supplies, vital for all Canadians.
Starting July 5, some exemptions have been granted to fully vaccinated individuals for entry in certain cases. Currently, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Covishield and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) are the accepted vaccines to benefit from the exemption. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Sputnik V, Sinopharm and Sinovac have not been approved by Canada for granting fully vaccinated status.
Meanwhile, restrictions on non-essential travel are expected to remain in place until at least July 21 as the fear of the highly contagious Delta variant has caused concern for authorities.
