Indian couple charged with smuggling 100-kg cocaine from US to Canada

ONE OF THE BIGGEST COCAINE SEIZURES ON THE USCANADA BORDER; 84 BRICKS OF COCAINE WERE FOUND IN A MICROWAVE AND IN LIVING QUARTERS OF SEMITRAILER TRUCK

NEWYORK: An Indian-origin couple, residents of California in the US, have been charged in Canada with smuggling nearly 100-kg cocaine from the US. Gurminder Singh Toor, 31, and Kirandeep Kaur Toor, 26, were charged on four counts under the Canadian Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported on Friday.

According to Canadian officials quoted by the CBC, this was the biggest cocaine seizure at the border between the US and Canada’s Alberta Province.

The seizure took place on December 2 just after midnight but it was announced by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Friday, CBC said.

CBC said according to offi- cials, border guards at Coutts in southern Alberta found 84 bricks of cocaine hidden in a microwave and in the living quarters of the semi-trailer truck, which was supposed to be bringing vegetables from the US.

“There certainly are a lot of trucks that come through Coutts and it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Guy Rook, CBSA director of operations in southern Alberta, according the National Post.

“In this case, we found that needle due to the training and dedication of our front line officers,” he added.

“Had this quantity of illicit narcotics made its way into our communities undetected, the impact could have been devastating,” said CBSA regional director general Kim R Scoville. The two accused appeared in provincial court and were released from custody on each posting $10,000 bail.

They were also ordered not to leave Alberta, to provide authorities with any travel documents, report weekly and in person to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), live at a specific address in northwest Edmonton, and not possess any weapons or explosives.

Their next court hearing is scheduled for January 19.