Plane loaded with bricks of suspected cocaine stopped at Pearson Airport in Mississauga
Published January 10, 2024 at 11:37 am
Drug dogs helped border agents sniff out dozens of suspected cocaine bricks stashed in an airplane from Africa that landed at Pearson Airport in Mississauga.
The drug bust happened on Nov. 30 when the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said members of an inspection unit were examining a plane that had landed at Pearson International Airport from Guyana.
But while members of the GTA Region Specialized Border Interdiction Unit and a detector dog team were investigating, the CBSA says a detector dog “indicated positive on one bag.”
That’s when officers found 25 brick-shaped packages of suspected cocaine in the bag, the CBSA says.
The bricks came to a total of 29 kilograms.
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.
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Officers also made 559 food, plant, and animal interceptions across the greater Toronto area airport, cargo, and mail processing operations.
“The importation of illicit drugs leads to increased crime in our communities, narcotics abuse and possibly deaths by overdose,” said Lisa Janes, CBSA Regional Director General. “Officers in the Greater Toronto Area Region remain vigilant in our work to ensure the safety of all Canadians.”
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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