SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK--(Marketwire - June 22, 2012) - The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) today announced two seizures totalling 170 kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of over $21 million at the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick.
"This is a very significant seizure here in our region," says Andrew LeFrank, Regional Director General, CBSA Atlantic Region. "We have kept hundreds of thousands of doses of this dangerous drug off our streets, and kept the profits out of the pockets of drug smugglers."
On May 29, while conducting a secondary examination of a marine container, CBSA officers discovered the drugs in a shipment of sauces, seasonings and noodles originating in Guyana, South America and destined for Mississauga, Ontario. With the assistance of x-ray technology, border services officers detected anomalies within the wooden pallets in the shipment. A total of 121 kilograms of cocaine was seized. The CBSA collaborated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Saint John City Police. A subsequent investigation by the RCMP resulted in charges against five individuals in Ontario this week.
On June 5, CBSA officers discovered similar concealment methods in another shipment of food products from Guyana and destined for North York, Ontario. Using the same secondary examination tools, CBSA officers found another 49 kilograms of cocaine. Again the CBSA contacted law enforcement partners, and as a result, the RCMP has charged three Ontario residents this week.
The CBSA works closely with the RCMP and other law enforcement partners, like the Saint John Police Force, to prevent drugs and other contraband from entering Canada. If you have witnessed or are aware of an incident involving suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Toll-free Line at 1-888-502-9060.
Photos of the seizure are available upon request.
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Contact Information:
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