Traveler allegedly attempted to smuggle 100 kilos of meth from Whatcom County into Canada
Canadian officials arrested a traveler who attempted to smuggle approximately 100 kilograms of methamphetamine across the U.S./Canada Border through the truck crossing port of entry from Whatcom County.
The Canada Border Services Agency announced the seizure of the methamphetamine and the arrest, which was made in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in a news release Wednesday, Jan. 5.
According to the release, a solo traveler arrived Oct. 18 at the Pacific Highway Traffic Operations border crossing into Surrey, B.C.
Canadian border services officers conducted a primary screening of the vehicle and then began to inspect the vehicle, according to the release. It was at that time that the traveler sped away from the port of entry at high speed, the release states.
The Canada Border Services Agency alerted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the vehicle was intercepted, the release states. Police returned the traveler and the vehicle to the port of entry for examination, and it was then that border services officers found several large, commercially sealed bags containing a crystalline substance in the trunk, according to the release.
A Canada Border Services detector K9 signaled the presence of narcotics and the traveler was arrested, according to the release. Approximately 100 kilos of meth reportedly was seized, which could be worth approximately $6 million according to the Addiction Center.
“The outstanding partnership between the CBSA and the RCMP contributed greatly to the success of this intercept, which prevented 100 kilograms of methamphetamine from entering our communities,” Canadian Border Services Agency Pacific Highway Traffic Operations Chief Rahul Coelho said in the release. “We are extremely proud of such work by our officers, which contributes directly to protecting Canadians and disrupting criminal schemes.”
The traveler was not identified in the release, nor was their nationality.
