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An investigation targeting the Canadian border town of Cornwall resulted in the seizure of over 200 kilograms and three arrests in early July.
The initiative, led by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), RCMP, and the Ontario Ministry of Finance, targets the Cornwall area to locate smugglers.
After a brief investigation, law enforcement pulled two different vehicles over, which were then searched by police under the authority of the Excise Act 2001 and the Cannabis Act.
On July 8, 2024, An Sen Lin, Wenrui Lin, and Jason Anderson were arrested and charged with a variety of contraventions of those Acts. They have been charged with Possession of Property obtained by Crime, Possession of unstamped cannabis, Conspiracy to Sell, and Possession of Cannabis for the purpose of selling and exporting.
All three are scheduled to appear in court on August 13th, 2024 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall, Ontario.
Cornwall is located just minutes from the US border, north of the Akwesasne reserve in New York State, across the St Lawrence River.
RCMP estimates the value of the cannabis was approximately $897,000. They also seized several cell phones and US cash.
“Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers are committed to disrupting organized crime. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners on both sides of the border to keep our communities safe,” said Jag Johnston, Regional Director General, Northern Ontario Region, CBSA, in a press release.
Seizures of cannabis leaving Canada are not uncommon. The CBSA recently seized 140 pounds of cannabis at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, destined for the UK.
The CBSA reports seizing more than 23,553,038 grams of cannabis products in fiscal year 2023-2024 and 126,210 grams of hash.
The amount of such seizures has increased significantly in the past six years.
- In May, an investigation team seized 123 kg of cannabis, along with 11.5 kg of cocaine, ready for export at the Port of Montreal.
- In June, while examining outbound luggage at the Halifax Stanfield airport, CBSA seized 32 kg of cannabis. On June 18, CBSA officers at the Montreal Maritime and Rail Services intercepted 309.52 kg of Hashish hidden in cans of tomato paste.
- In May, border officials intercepted a package at the Montréal-Trudeau Airport that contained 120 kg of dried cannabis.
- In April, Montreal Maritime and Rail ServicesCBSA officers seized 275 kg of dried cannabis hidden in bags of wood pellets.
- In February, CBSA officials at Vancouver International seized over 180 kg of cannabis, and police in Québec said they arrested three people in connection with the illicit export of cannabis to the United States.
- In January, the CBSA intercepted 310 kg of cannabis in a container exported from Canada to the UK at Montréal Marine and Rail Services.
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