United States customs officers at the Alberta-Montana border crossing have intercepted about 32 kilograms of Canada-bound cocaine kept in a shipment of watermelons and peppers.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office, the illegal cargo was discovered recently during the secondary inspection of a commercial truck driven by a Canadian female.
Some bags that were concealed within the fruit and vegetable shipment had a substance that tested positive for cocaine.
In a release, Jason Greene, CBP area director at Sweetgrass said: “The ability to facilitate lawful trade and travel while sustaining a focus on enforcement is critical to our border security mission.”
The file is currently with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution but the driver’s name was not released.
A Calgary trucker pleaded guilty in U.S. court in June after he was caught coveting 95 kilograms of cocaine in a load of bananas at the same border crossing in January.
39-year-old Gurpal Singh Gill is scheduled for sentencing in September and he faces a compulsory minimum sentence of five to 40 years and a $5-million fine.
