Canada Border Services Agency arrests Punjabi truck driver with large cocaine haul

The Canada Border Services Agency has reported the arrest of a Punjabi truck driver with a large cocaine haul at Blue Water Bridge, Ontario.

The agency said that on July 23, a commercial truck entering from the United States was stopped for inspection at the Blue Water Bridge Port of Entry, during which officers searched the trailer and seized 197 kilograms of suspected cocaine, concealed in seven bags in the form of bricks.

According to the Border Services Agency, this had an estimated street value of $24.6 million. The CBSA arrested 29-year-old truck driver Onkar Kalsi of Caledon, Ontario, in connection with the seizure and transferred him to RCMP custody with the suspected drugs.

Kalsi has been charged by the RCMP under the Controlled Drugs Act with bringing cocaine into Canada for the purpose of trafficking. Police said further investigations are ongoing into the matter.

The agency also said that between January 1 and July 10, officers seized a total of 1,164 kilograms of cocaine entering through the United States.