Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Canada Border Services Agency/Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) worked together to protect our communities by keeping approximately 6.5 million dollars worth of cocaine from entering Canada.
On September 26, 2023, a commercial truck driver arrived at the primary inspection booth at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge port of entry in Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario. The vehicle and driver were referred for secondary examination, and border services officers discovered 202 brick-shaped objects. The objects tested positive for suspected cocaine with a total weight of 233 kg. The driver was arrested by the CBSA and transferred to the custody of the RCMP Border Integrity Unit, along with the suspected narcotics.
A thorough investigation followed and on December 19, 2023 the RCMP charged 35-year-old Sukhwinder DHANJU of Brampton, Ontario with:
• Importation of cocaine, contrary to Section 6(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
• Possession for the purpose of trafficking, contrary to Section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
Dhanju has been released with strict conditions. A court date is scheduled for February 2, 2024 at 09:00 a.m. at the Robert S.K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines, Ontario.
- Anyone with information regarding criminal activity is encouraged to contact their local police, the RCMP at 1-800-387-0020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
- Smuggling narcotics and other Customs Act contraventions may lead to prosecution in a court of law. For foreign nationals this may mean removal from Canada, and a ban on returning to Canada.
- For the latest contraband statistics, visit Canada Border Services Agency seizures.
- If you have information about suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060.
Source: CBSA
