Prosecutions and Seizures

Quebec Region

$34 million worth of drugs seized at Montréal airports, since beginning of 2005

Montréal, Quebec, April 19, 2005 - For the first three months of 2005, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers at Montréal-Trudeau Airport and the commercial section at Montréal-Mirabel Airport made 99 drug seizures representing $34 million.

Amongst the most important seizures:

• On January 15, 2005, CBSA officers found more than three kilos of cocaine in the suitcase of a passenger arriving from Port-au-Prince.
• On January 23, 2005, 218 kilos of cocaine were found in false panels of two luggage containers. This seizure represents one of the most important achieved at the Montréal-Trudeau Airport.
• On February 24, 2005, two Canadian citizens, a man and a woman, arriving from Porlamar, Venezuela, were intercepted with two false bottom suitcases, each containing three kilos of cocaine.
• On March 21, 2005, a search of an airplane arriving from Porlamar, Venezuela, revealed 32 kilos of cocaine hidden in the garbage. The 32 bricks were wrapped in cellophane covered with a black greasy substance.
• On March 23, 2005, CBSA officers discovered, in the suitcase of a traveller arriving from Haiti, five juice cans containing liquid saturated with cocaine.

CBSA officers also made an important heroin seizure on February 16, 2005. They discovered almost two kilos of heroin, worth $750,000 on the streets, in a false-bottom suitcase belonging to a traveller arriving from Quito, Ecuador after transiting through Mexico.

Since the beginning of the year, CBSA officers also made five important seizures of Catha edulis (khat) worth approximately $132,000.

• The most important seizure was done on February 9, 2005, by officers who discovered 190 kilos of khat hidden in 20 boxes of cut flowers of a commercial shipment from Amsterdam. The estimated value of the seizure is close to $53,000.
• Another important seizure came from India via London. The 463 bunches of khat were hidden under ice packs and covered with newspapers and leaves. The shipper's declaration mentioned fresh mixed vegetables.

Three important seizures of hashish were made in January for a total value of $92,000.

• On January 24, 2005, two Canadian citizens were intercepted upon their return from Jamaica. The two travellers had each ingested more than half a kilo of hashish.
• On January 29, 2005, the search of an aircraft arriving from Montego Bay, Jamaica, led to the discovery of 1.4 kilos of hashish hidden behind a partition.

Important seizures of steroids were also made during the year's first quarter. The three most important seizures were conducted by CBSA officers assigned to the clearance-of-express courier at Mirabel. The two most important seizures represented respectively 2,100 and 1,440 doses of steroids seized in parcels arriving from North Carolina, whereas the third seizure, representing 1,030 doses, was conducted following verification of a parcel arriving from Texas.

CBSA officers always keep a close watch to stop the illegal entry of drugs and controlled substances into Canada. CBSA officers work in cooperation with RCMP officers of the Airport Federal Investigation Section (AFIS). The seized drugs are given to the AFIS, who leads the investigations.

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Photos available upon request.

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