(WWJ) A Canadian man was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 30 bricks of suspected cocaine over the Ambassador Bridge.
Manjinder Gill of Ontario is facing charges of importation of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking after he was caught attempting to bring the packages from the U.S. into Canada, according to authorities.
Officials say on Dec. 15, the 44-year-old drove a semi from Detroit to the Ambassador Bridge port of entry in Windsor, and was referred to a second inspection.
That's when Canadian border agents discovered the 30 packages, which weighed around 88 lbs in total. The suspected cocaine was seized and Gill was taken into custody.
"Stopping the smuggling of narcotics across Canadian borders is a priority for the CBSA. I want to congratulate the CBSA officers who work tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe alongside its law enforcement partner, the RCMP," said Joe McMahon, district director of Ambassador Bridge District Operations with the Canada Border Services Agency.
"This arrest is an indication of the hard work affected by both the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and CBSA," added Staff Sergeant Tim Pettit, Acting Officer in Charge, RCMP Windsor Detachment. "These officers work in unison to stop the smuggling of illegal drugs into our country in order to keep our streets safe."
Officials said that between Jan. 1 and Dec. 17, the CBSA, Southern Ontario Region, seized over 870 lbs. of suspected cocaine.
Anyone with information about suspicious cross-border activity is urged to call the CBSA Border Watch Toll free line at 1-888-502-9060.
