Shipment of 'frozen waffles' at US border turns out to be a ton of Cannabis
The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a US$5,000,000 fine.
A 22-year-old from Scarborough, Ont., has been charged following an alleged attempt to smuggle nearly 1,000 kilograms of cannabis and 50 kilograms of ketamine into the U.S.
The man was driving a semi-trailer manifested as carrying frozen waffles when he attempted to enter the U.S. at the Peace Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ont.
According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, the man presented customs officials with documents indicating that the waffles were bound for a grocery store warehouse in Georgia.
The truck was referred for a secondary inspection after the shipper allegedly confirmed the load was fraudulent.
Inside the trailer, border officials recovered approximately 948 kilograms of “a green leafy substance,” said to be consistent with cannabis, in addition to 50 kilograms of ketamine.
According to the release, the driver had previously been involved with five prior fraudulent shipments to the U.S.
He has been charged with possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, and with importing marijuana into the U.S. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a US$5,000,000 fine. The man remains in custody following a federal detention hearing.
Earlier this year, the crossing direction was reversed when a California man attempted to enter Ontario with 181 kilograms of pot and nearly US$603,000 (about $809,000) in his possession.
The 60-year-old man blamed bad GPS directions for ending up at the border crossing and was referred to a secondary inspection as he was not carrying a passport. Border officers then found the cannabis, which was contained in vacuum-sealed packages and concealed in a safe, suitcase and hard-shell lockable case.
CBSA officers arrested the man and seized the items. The case has since been turned over to the RCMP Niagara-on-the-Lake federal Policing Border Integrity Team.
