A trucker charged with attempting to smuggle $20 million worth of marijuana from Canada into the United States told investigators he didn’t know about the nearly 9,500 pounds of drugs hidden in storage containers in his trailer, according to a court document.
Prabjot Nagra, a truck driver for Highway Secure Transport in Ontario, was arrested after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspected his tractor-trailer after it crossed the Peace Bridge near Buffalo, New York, on June 25.
“My driver and my company had no involvement in this,” a man who identified himself as the owner of Secure Highway Transport told FreightWaves. “He’s an innocent man.”
Nagra, 26, was ordered to remain in U.S. custody Wednesday as he faces charges stemming from the record seizure of marijuana at the U.S.-Canada border.
Investigator: Trackers found with marijuana
CBP officers found the marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags hidden in wooden crates, according to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York on Friday by a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations. Investigators found three trackers with the marijuana shipment, according to the complaint.
Nagra told investigators he didn’t know about the marijuana or its intended destination, according to the complaint. However, the special agent contended that a “criminal organization involved in the smuggling of controlled substances would not risk a $20 million drug load” with a driver who didn’t know about the illicit load.
Nagra’s lawyer, a U.S. federal public defender, did not respond to FreightWaves’ request for comment.
Marijuana seizures have surged at the Canada-U.S. border since it closed for non-essential travel in March because of COVID-19.
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malkeet singh
I mean,I trust the driver when he said he have NO knowledge of what’s in the Trailer.
Torrance Reeves
So do I. Most loads are sealed now days. Also most shippers no longer allow drivers on there dock due to insurance compliance.
malkeet singh
I pick a loaded trailer from my yard and bring it to US.I have no knowledge of what’s in the trailer, except what is stated in the BOL.l trust the driver when he says he have knowledge of the contents in his trailer. The custom officers should raid the shopper’s and receiving office.
Alonzo
I have been driving for 27 years and I’m here to tell you drivers rarely know what they are hauling. Just because your BOL says TV’s, doesn’t mean you have tv’s.
Everyone with Brain
What load of cow maneuver…
From Canada??? Lol I’m dying to go there to get Sun tan, because the plants grow there Better than I’m Mexico…
What’s next? A 400 billion bust of sunflower seeds smuggled from Alaska into Mexico!??
Enough. You do nothing, did nothing, useless publicity stunts. Useless and stupid nonsense nothing
Bettye
We go pick up loads they are usually sealed already. Or live loads we are not present during that either. We can’t even go inside the warehouses. And this was the practice before COVID 19. I sign my paperwork SLC ( shopper load and count). Which should release me from anything outside of what is listed on the BOL. Y’all should have said nothing and followed the driver to destination. And then handled the responsible party. I believe the driver and owner.
TruckerChik
If the CBP were smart, they would have coordinated delivery of the pot and been able to do a drug bust. Instead they reported that a trucker got busted with possession. Most of us truckers haven’t got a clue of what we are hauling. Our job is to deliver the freight.
Bettye
Agreed.
Marc A Petrillo
The one important fact missing in the article is whether or not the trailer was sealed. Drivers carry seals, but most of the time the shipper seals it and notates ( seal number) on the bill of laden. Law enforcement has a learning curve, to assume the driver knew as the article suggests is premature. They know where the load is going, and that it had trackers leads me to investigate further the drivers foreknowledge.
IDRIZ FETINCI
or he just didn’t know about it, if he know he would be extremely nervous,he’s behavior would give red light..hmmm who knows. investigations should conducted at shipper,make sense out of it,not jump on conclusion easily. in the other hand what if he’s innocent,life is on a stake here.
Bettye
We get blamed for everything.