Blaine man allegedly smuggles 436 pounds of meth across U.S. border into Canada
A Blaine man is in Canadian custody after he and another man allegedly attempted to smuggle 436 pounds of methamphetamine across the border from the U.S. into Abbotsford, B.C., Monday in a trailer pulled by an ATV.
It was one of the largest meth seizures ever made along Canada’s border.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced in a press release Thursday, July 23, that it had arrested Zacchary Marcus Scott Hecock on suspicion of importation and possession of a methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. Charges were filed against Hecock in Abbotsford Provincial Court, and he is awaiting his next appearance Tuesday, July 28.
Police also have identified a second suspect, who remains at large, the release said.
On July 20, Hecock and his co-conspirator crossed the U.S.-Canadian border with an ATV pulling a trailer in the area of Mt. Lehman Road near Abbotsford International Airport, the release stated. Citizens saw the illegal border crossing and reported it to police.
The RCMP Border Integrity Enforcement Team, Abbotsford police and U.S. Border Patrol, quickly responded to the area, and Hecock was arrested in a blueberry field, according to the release. The ATV and trailer were seized, and law enforcement reportedly found the trailer was packed with duffle bags with packages of “bulk level” methamphetamine.
The gross weight of the drugs totaled 198 kilograms, the release stated.
According to justice.gov, methamphetiamine is worth up to $20,000 or $30,000 per pound, depending on which form it is in, meaning the seizure could be worth up to $13 million.
RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime Corporal Daniel Michaud told the Abbotsford News that though there had been larger methamphetamine seizures in international waters, Monday’s was “near the top” of those made along Canada’s land border.
“Usually, if we’re talking about these quantities of drugs, the chance that organized crime is involved is pretty high,” Michaud told the Abbotsford News. “We are investigating but haven’t confirmed anything so far.”
The investigation is ongoing, the RCMP release stated.
Previously, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office stopped Hecock in August 2017 near Blaine Road and Birch Bay Lynden Road because he had an active no-bail warrant for his arrest. During a search, deputies reportedly found two unopened prescription packages of Suboxone sublingual films in his wallet, which he claimed to have found on the ground a few days earlier.
Possession of a controlled substance charges were filed against him but later dismissed without prejudice in January of 2018.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 8:02 AM.
