A rookie truck driver was arrested and charged after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found $2.8 million worth of marijuana hidden in a load of pork bound for El Paso, Texas, at the U.S.-Canada border in Detroit on Monday, court documents show.
Varinder Singh of Brampton, Ontario, told federal investigators that he was unaware that he was hauling marijuana when he presented his tractor-trailer at the Fort Street Cargo Facility shortly before noon, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Tuesday.
Singh told investigators he had been a truck driver for a month and had crossed the border “seven or eight times,” the complaint states.
The rookie trucker now faces two U.S. federal criminal charges: possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and illegal importing.
The case bears similarities to a wave of drug seizures along the U.S.-Canada border since it closed for nonessential travel in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most have occurred in the Buffalo, New York, and Detroit area, involving Canadian trucks from small carriers discovered hauling marijuana concealed in legitimate shipments bound for the U.S.
Driver denied knowing about the marijuana, says he picked up sealed trailer
CBP officers discovered the suspected marijuana after an X-ray of the trailer during a secondary inspection “revealed an anomaly,” according to the complaint. A CBP dog detected the presence of marijuana, which was found in six pallets among 21 pallets of pork products.
Singh waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak to Homeland Security Investigations agents, according to the complaint.
“Singh did not acknowledge ownership of the suspected marijuana, and further denied knowledge that the suspected marijuana was in the truck trailer,” HSI Special Agent Brian Manns wrote in the criminal complaint.
The trucker said he picked up the sealed trailer at 6 a.m Monday and verified that the trailer seal numbers matched those on the bills of lading, the complaint states. Singh told investigators he made three stops before reaching the border “for fuel, coffee, and to fax documents” and planned to travel directly to El Paso.
Investigators, however, found that the customs documentation for the pork had a different number for the seal, according to the complaint.
Investigator: Canadian marijuana ‘routinely smuggled’ to the U.S. via trucks for 20 years
The integrity of trailer seals frequently is an important part of cross-border drug cases. They help establish the chain of custody of a load leaving a secured facility. The presence of the original seal can protect drivers who unwittingly haul contraband across the border, but their absence can cast suspicion on drivers.
Prabjot Nagra, a trucker arrested following the seizure of $20 million worth of marijuana at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo in June, insisted to investigators that he was unaware of the drugs in the sealed trailer. Prosecutors ultimately withdrew the charges without explanation.
Despite the surge of marijuana seizures at the border during 2020, the complaint noted that Canadian-grown marijuana has been routinely smuggled in commercial trucks from Canada into the United States” for the past 20 years.
“The distribution areas for this marijuana are typically in the midwestern and southeastern areas within the United States where large amounts of highly potent marijuana is difficult to purchase,” Manns wrote in the complaint. “… Quality marijuana is extremely plentiful in areas such as southern Texas and Mexico where this commercial load was destined, and Canadian grown marijuana would not be a desired commodity in these areas.”
Canada legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2018 while exports remain illegal. Unlicensed producers have continued to flourish, however, leading to a supply glut.
Click for more FreightWaves articles by Nate Tabak
Canada clears 5 firms to bid on COVID-19 vaccine distribution contract
When ransomware attacks hit, companies choose between pay and pain
Pfizer plans ‘just-in-time’ COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Canada
Dennis
Thankyou Donald Trump. This may be a bridge too far. But you have waken up the electorate. Bidden is a crook and you have exposed him. Only the willing blind will bash you. I salute you Sir.
Donald trump
I did it! 🎉🤪🤡🤡🖕🏽🖕🏽🖕🏽🛌💩💩💩💩💩
Dennis
Thankyou Donald Trump. This may be a bridge too far. But you have waken up the electorate. Bidden is a crook and you have exposed him. Only the willing blind will bash you. I salute you Sir.
Kokkthrobbin
Dennis you are seriously ignorant.
Scott
They always say the drivers responsible for the load but that is BS I drive over the road and they never let you into the warehouse to even see what is being loaded in the truck so I believe the driver the shipper should be responsible not the driver they’re the ones that loaded into the truck sometimes the driver doesn’t even put the seal on the truck but once the truck is loaded it’s very very hard to inspect the whole load to know what’s there
Philip L Schwigel
This driver is marked as guilty. He claims no knowledge of the dope, but the seal numbers do not match. Because the seal numbers do not match the shipper is off the hook. Who changed the seal & added the dope? If the driver would have noticed the difference in the seal number prior to leaving the hook up facility, he would be off the hook now too. He did not do that but claims he checked the numbers on the seal & they matched his paperwork prior to leaving the hook up facility. So, as he is driving along, somebody comes along & places the dope on the pallets in the trailer & shrink wraps it. Sorry folks, not going to happen. Varinder Singh is left holding the bag for being prosecuted for this load of dope, because he failed to do his job. His job as the truck driver was to insure that the seal numbers on the trailer matched those of the paperwork. He signed off on the paperwork stating the seal numbers matched. If they didn’t match, he never should have took the load. The chain of responsibility has worked. Throw him in jail & throw away the key.
Doobie Doo
My man a man failing to do his job like this doesn’t deserve 20 years in jail. Maybe you’re high on Chuck Norris/Steven Segal action flicks but you can’t just open and shut this case so easily. You can’t always inspect the cargo and even of you do the pallets aren’t always so easy to verify their contents. Most drivers are pretty careful in with paperwork but sometimes they may overlook things unknowingly. Some truck drivers are too lazy and sign anything but either way you need to do an investigation to see when and where the drop was loaded and not just throw away the key. That incentives drug shippers to just use drivers as scapegoats. You’re just trying to throw the book at someone like those tv shows you watch but you’re too lazy to actually investigate the matter. You’re the kind of guy who’d complain to a judge why you were pulled over for speeding when everyone else was as well. You’d probably ask for the cops dash cam footage, the street view footage and your own dash cam footage to be taken into consideration by the judge to avoid a 500 dollar ticket but you easily throw away the book on a rookie driver. He may or may not be guilty. And no I don’t need to know who you are to judge you because you’ve said enough for me to size you up. You’re a male Karen.
Ricky Johnson
I believe the driver
Michael Bol
You have to figure out who is guilty, the owner of the trunk, the driver, the loader, the shipping company? Someone obviously was smuggling dope, and usually the driver gets the time, because they sign off on the load, but it could be he did not do his due diligence and just accept what he was given without inspecting it himself
Scott
Whoops I drove myself for over 40years any way you can’t always inspect what you are hauling. So that’s a bad deal for all involved. I also went to Canada
Jim Caufman
Inpound the truck and trailer for forfeiture including cargo. After awhile shippers and truck owners will put an end to the drug shipments.
Also Canada must provide perexport inspections and place a Canada Government seal to the trailer.
That will reduce our law enforcement and prosecution cost.
Mark
I drove 18 wheeler for roughly 15 years, I did a lot of thinking on the road. I came to the conclusion after being search by police thoroughly one day at Laredo. I delivered 15 utility cars that were golf carts with dump bodys on them . To some Hispanic warehouse there. I often heard about tunnels for smuggling drugs. So I just figured those utility carts would work well for a tunnel op. An that was why I was searched after leaving consignee. I also concluded this. What is the very best way to smuggle anything. Well, the best way is for the smugglers not to even know that’s what they are doing..