A truck driver was caught attempting to transport six duffel bags full of cocaine into Canada late last week, officials say.
The contraband was found on the Detroit, Michigan side of the Ambassador Bridge at around 6:10 p.m. on Thursday, February 24th.
According to the Detroit Contraband Enforcement Team, US Customs and Border Protection officials spoke with truck driver Jagrant Singh Gill as he was attempting to drive his truck and soft side covered trailer across the bridge and into Canada.
Click on Detroit reports that Gill told agents that he was hauling “steel reels from Marion, Indiana,” and that he was not carrying any guns, ammunition, military equipment, or more than $10,000 in cash. Gill was then asked to park the truck and exit the cab while agents inspected the side storage compartment under the trailer. Agents immediately discovered six duffel bags packed with plastic wrapped bundles marked with various logos and numbers inside.
Gill was immediately placed under arrest for the 140.75 kilograms of test-confirmed cocaine. At around 9 p.m. that evening, Gill waived his Miranda rights and told police that he had entered the US at around 9 p.m. on February 23rd and headed to Albion, Indiana to drop off steel pipes. He then drove to another location in Indiana where he picked up large steel reels used to house wire and was told to haul them back to Canada. Gill then says he stopped at a truck stop on exit 151 off of I-94 in Michigan and went into the bathroom, where he stayed for approximately a half hour.
Gill told police that he did not know how the cocaine got into the storage compartment of his trailer. Officers concluded that there is probable cause that Gill was in possession of the cocaine with intention to distribute.