Another trucker charged with smuggling drugs over Blue Water Bridge

Sarnia court hears most unusual case of Michigan stowaways hidden

Another trucker – the second in less than three months – has been charged with attempting to smuggle a large haul of illegal drugs across the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, The Observer has learned.

Another trucker – the second in less than three months – has been charged with attempting to smuggle a large haul of illegal drugs across the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, The Observer has learned.

A press release has not been issued as of Friday about the most recent incident, but a Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson confirmed officers at the international crossing between Port Huron, Mich., and Point Edward found approximately 60 kilograms of suspected cocaine in the trailer of a commercial truck on April 8.

It’s a smaller seizure than the combined 265 kilograms of suspected narcotics Canadian border officers found in a truck on Jan. 13, worth an estimated $47 million, but it’s still substantial.

“All drug seizures are significant for the (border agency), regardless of quantity or associated value,” spokesperson Patrick Mahaffy wrote to The Observer via email.

Border service officers found about 265 kilograms in illegal drugs in a transport truck entering Canada at the Blue Water Bridge on Jan.  13, the Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced Wednesday.  (Handout)
Border service officers found about 265 kilograms in illegal drugs in a transport truck entering Canada at the Blue Water Bridge on Jan. 13, the Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced Wednesday. (Handout)

Mahaffy said the value of what was seized two weeks ago wasn’t available due to a variety of factors, such as purity level and where it would’ve been sold.

“What we wish to underline here is that the (Canada Border Services Agency) and RCMP worked together to disrupt this smuggling operation and kept this large amount of suspected cocaine off our streets,” he added.

Charanpreet Singh, 25, from Brampton was arrested April 8 and charged with two Controlled Drugs and Substances Act offenses of unlawfully importing cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Over the past two weeks, Singh has made a handful of appearances in video remand court from the Sarnia Jail, with the help of a Punjabi interpreter. Friday, a lengthy bail hearing got underway where Harval Bassi, a Mississauga-based lawyer, argued for his client’s release to a surety, his sister, on a $50,000 pledge.

Assistant federal prosecutor Brian Higgins opposed Singh’s release. After listening to both lawyers, justice of the peace Kelly Jackson adjourned her decision to Monday.

“My apologizes to Mr. Singh, I just cannot rush this decision this afternoon,” she said.

Singh watched the full-day session over Zoom while sitting quietly in a room inside the border-city jail wearing a standard-issue orange shirt and a blue surgical mask below his messy brown hair.

All evidence heard at the hearing, along with Jackson’s upcoming reasons to grant or deny bail, are protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

The twin spans of the Blue Water Bridge are shown from Point Edward.
The twin spans of the Blue Water Bridge are shown from Point Edward. Photo by File photo /The Observer

Meanwhile, a separate – and lengthier – bail hearing for an unrelated trucker arrested at the same border on Jan. 13 continues.

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.

His bail hearing started April 8 – the same day the other trucker was arrested – and continued Thursday but was adjourned for a second time with lawyers on both sides still wanting to send justice of the peace Helen Gale case law.

The Crown is also opposing the release of Arshdeep Singh, who is being held at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton. A date for Gale’s decision hasn’t been picked as of Friday.

Border officials and the RCMP did release details of the Jan. 13 incident, but not for nearly seven weeks. In a joint statement, officials 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.

Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino was quoted in the March 2 statement saying safety and security is a top priority.

“Our work to protect Canadians begins at our borders, stopping illicit drugs from coming into Canada and disrupting criminal activity. I want to thank the RCMP and the (border agency) for their quick and decisive action to keep Canadians safe,” he said.

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@ObserverTerry

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