Couple Caught with 100 kg Cocaine at U.S.-Canada Border

An Indian American couple was apprehended with 100 kg cocaine in their semi-truck and trailer at the Canada-U.S. border. The arrest led to the haul of one of the biggest cocaine seizures in Alberta, authorities announced on Dec. 8.

The couple, Gurminder Singh Toor, 31, and Kirandeep Kaur Toor, 26, both from California, were charged with importing a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. In total, they were charged on four counts each under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. They crossed from the Coutts-Sweet Grass border. They made their first court appearance on Dec. 5.

The truck was stopped by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Dec. 2 for checking at the border. A total of 84 bricks of cocaine were found in the vehicle.

“There were two people in the truck, which was hauling a load of produce from California to a business here in Alberta,” spokesperson Guy Rook said. “While searching the cab of the vehicle, officers opened a microwave and found eight bricks of a suspected narcotic.

“A drawer beneath the microwave and an area behind the microwave revealed another 14 bricks of suspected narcotics. Continuing their examination, officers uncovered 18 bricks wedged between the end of the bed and the wall of the truck. When they lifted the top bunk mattress, they found another 44 bricks.

Kim R. Scoville, Regional Director General, Prairie Region, CBSA, said in a statement: “Had this quantity of illicit narcotics made its way into our communities undetected, the impact could have been devastating. The CBSA is truly Canada’s first line of defense, and this record seizure is a prime example of how frontline officers are actively protecting Canadians every day.”

The cocaine would have been enough for more than 100,000 hits and could be worth anywhere between $6.7 and $8.4 million or more, depending on how it’s mixed, cut and sold, according to RCMP officials.