A truck driver was charged after getting caught at the U.S. and Canadian border with a record-breaking $50 million in meth, authorities said.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said on Wednesday that a truck driver has been charged with Importation of Methamphetamine and Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking.
The truck driver was identified by CBC as Winnipeg resident Komalpreet Sidhu, 29.
The charges were issued after a commercial truck driven by Sidhu arrived at the Boissevain port of entry in southern Manitoba around 10 p.m. on January 14, 2024. The truck was hauling a shipment headed to Winnipeg.
While the truck was at the port of entry, CBSA officers discovered approximately 895 pounds of suspected methamphetamine (an estimated 4 million illicit doses) on the truck.
The estimated street value of the seized drugs is over $50,780,000.
Sidhu is scheduled to appear in Manitoba court on February 1.
“This is the largest seizure of narcotics our border officers have ever made in the Prairies. Thanks to their quick and decisive action, more than 400 kg of methamphetamine were kept off our streets. The accused has been charged for importation of methamphetamine valued at over 50 million dollars, trafficking, and smuggling into Canada. The CBSA and the RCMP work hard every day to protect Canadians and ensure those who break our laws are held accountable,” said Janalee Bell-Boychuk, Regional Director General, Prairie Region, CBSA.
“This substantial seizure by the Canada Border Services Agency means that approximately 4 million illicit methamphetamine doses will not reach our streets and takes away over 50 million dollars from the hands of organized crime networks and local drug traffickers. These drugs were destined not only for the streets of Winnipeg, but throughout Manitoba and beyond. There is no doubt this shipment would have inflicted significant harm to our communities,” said Inspector Joe Telus, Federal Policing, Manitoba RCMP.
“Every aspect of the semi’s journey from the United States to Boissevain, as well as its final destination in Winnipeg, is being thoroughly investigated,” Telus told CBC.