Cocaine bricks worth $6.5 million found in truck cargo, Brampton man charged
Published January 10, 2024 at 1:25 pm
Charges have been laid against a commercial truck driver from Brampton after police say they found bricks of cocaine worth $6.5 million stashed in a cargo truck at the Canada-U.S. border.
Mounties say that the seizure happened on Sept. 26 when a commercial truck driver was trying to enter Canada from the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge border crossing in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The RCMP says the driver was sent for a secondary inspection of his truck and trailer, and that’s when Mounties found more than 200 bricks which tested positive for cocaine.
Police say the bricks were found in the driver’s cargo and weighed 233 kilograms with a value of $6.5 million, leading to multiple charges for a 35-year-old commercial truck driver from Brampton.
The RCMP says Sukhwinder Dhanju, 35, of Brampton, has been charged with the importation of cocaine and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Police say the bust “is another great example of the partnership between the RCMP and the CBSA to keep our communities safe.”
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“The RCMP and the CBSA once again, through a joint effort, demonstrated continued commitment in working together to effectively disrupt the drug trade,” said RCMP Sup. Rae Bolsterli.
The accused was released “with strict conditions,” police said. The man is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Feb. 2 in St. Catharines.
Border agents also recently seized 25 brick-shaped packages of suspected cocaine stashed in an airplane from Africa that landed at Pearson Airport in Mississauga.
The CBSA says border services officers made 9,358 seizures of suspected narcotics, weapons and other contraband in 2023. Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, there were over 3,000 seizures of various kinds of narcotics.
Anyone with information about suspicious cross-border activity is asked to contact the CBSA Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060. Tips 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 or www.crimestoppers.ca.
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