A trucker accused of attempting to smuggle about 60 kilograms of suspected cocaine across the Blue Water Bridge has been hit with new charges amid allegations heroin was also on board, court records show.
A Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson confirmed to The Observer the suspected drugs were found in the trailer of a commercial truck on April 8 at the international crossing between Port Huron, Mich., and Point Edward. An estimated street value wasn’t available due to a variety of factors such as purity and where it would’ve been sold, they said, but they added all drug seizures at the border are significant.
Charanpreet Singh, 25, from Brampton was arrested that day and charged with two Controlled Drugs and Substances Act offenses of unlawfully importing cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
But a new document has been filed at the Sarnia courthouse featuring four charges – the original pair along with unlawfully importing heroin and possession of heroin for the purpose of trafficking. The case is in the hands of Rick Visca of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, but Sarnia-based federal prosecutor Brian Higgins explained where the new charges came from while representing him during a brief court appearance last Wednesday.
“Your worship, I do understand from Mr. Visca that the certificates of analysis came back showing that there was additionally heroin present and as a result a new replacement information was sworn,” Higgins told the justice of the peace.
An information is a document filed at the courthouse containing the list of charges. The charges haven’t been tested in court.
Singh, now 26, has chosen to go to trial before a judge and jury, his lawyer confirmed that day. A preliminary hearing, featuring a Punjabi interpreter, is set for March 30-31.
Singh spent just over two weeks in the Sarnia Jail before being granted a $55,000 lease plan on April 25. He was released to live at his sister’s home in Brampton under strict house arrest with the GPS monitoring.
Another drug-smuggling case linked to a trucker is also still before the Sarnia courts. In a joint statement from border and RCMP officials, they said suspected versions of heroin, pink cocaine, and meth were found among large garbage bags and spare tires in a commercial vehicle during a secondary examination on Jan .13. The combined 265 kilograms of suspected narcotics was worth an estimated $47 million, officials said.
Arshdeep Singh, 23, from Quebec City is facing six Controlled Drugs and Substances Act charges – three for importing and three for possession for the purpose of trafficking. The charges haven’t been tested in court.
Singh was previously denied bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to start in October.