Border agents seize nearly 350kg of cocaine over 2 days at Blue Water Bridge

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) seized nearly 350 kg of cocaine from two vehicles at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry in Port Edward last month.

The bridge is located at the Village of Port Edward, between Sarnia and Lake Huron in southern Ontario.

Border agents say during an examination of a commercial truck arriving from the United States Aug. 13, they found 150 kg of suspected narcotics.

During the inspection of the truck’s trailer, officers found suspected cocaine in six boxes, which had an estimated street value of $18.8 million.

The agency arrested 28-year-old Gurjeet Singh from Brampton, who was then transferred along with the drugs to the custody of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The next day, border services officers seized 199 kg of suspected cocaine after searching another tractor-trailer that had arrived from the United States.

The suspected cocaine had an estimated street value of around $24.9 million.

The CBSA arrested 38-year-old Abdikadir Egal from Etobicoke, and transferred him and the drugs to the custody of the RCMP.

“These two successful seizures highlight the great work being done every day by the CBSA and RCMP at the border,” said Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, the officer-in-charge at the Central Region RCMP. “The RCMP remains committed to working diligently with our partners to protect Canadians from the threats posed by drug trafficking.”

Both Gurjeet and Abdikadir were charged with offences related to importing cocaine, and possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Gurjeet and Abdikadir are scheduled to appear at a Sarnia courthouse at a future date.

Both incidents are still under investigation.

The agency says between Jan. 1, and Aug. 20, officers have seized 1,424 kg of cocaine from the U.S., compared to 878 kg seized from all other countries combined.

“The Canada Border Services Agency is protecting our borders and ensuring the safety of our communities,” said Michael Prosia, the Regional Director General of the Southern Ontario Region with the CBSA.

“So far this year, border services officers at land ports of entry in Southern Ontario have seized more than 1.52 tonnes of cocaine coming from the United States.”

READ MORE: Canadian border agents report seizing over one tonne of cocaine since January