Trucker sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle $2.5 million worth of meth into Canada

A Canadian truck driver was sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine from the U.S. across the border into Canada.

Truck driver Sarbjit Chahal of Surrey, British Columbia, was recently sentenced to four years in prison for import/export of a controlled substance. He was also sentenced to two and a half years for drug possession for the purposes of trafficking, but the sentences will run concurrently.

Chahal was arrested on November 18, 2018, at the Pacific Highway Border Crossing.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) screened the Canada-bound truck driven by Chahal and found 33 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside the driver’s cabin.

Fox News reports that the estimated street value of the seized drugs is $2.5 million.

Chahal was then placed under arrest.

After officials confirmed that the substance was 100% pure methamphetamine, Chahal was formally charged with formally charged with import/export of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

During a jury trial in late 2021, Chahal took the stand in his own defense and told the jury that he had attempted to smuggle the drugs while under duress after having received death threats from an individual who had asked him to act as a courier.

The jury convicted Chahal on both counts.

“We are committed to ensuring Canada’s continued security and prosperity, and the success of this joint operation demonstrates the effectiveness of the CBSA-RCMP Joint Border Strategy of detecting, preventing, denying and disrupting criminal exploitation of Canada’s borders,” said Superintendent Bert Ferreira, Officer in Charge of the BC RCMP Federal Serious & Organized Crime Border Integrity Program.