Indian-origin Sikh truck driver convicted of smuggling 40 kg cocaine worth $4.8 million into Canada

PTC News Desk: A 33-year-old Indian-origin Sikh truck driver from the Toronto area has been convicted by an Ontario court for bringing nearly 40 kg of cocaine, worth up to $4.8 million, into Canada through the Blue Water Bridge in April 2024.

The accused, Ranjit Singh, was found guilty of importing a controlled substance and possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking. Ontario Superior Court Justice Scott Pratt delivered the verdict on Monday after a three-week trial held in Sarnia in June.

The judge said he did not find Singh's explanation believable and pointed to several inconsistencies in his testimony.

Justice Pratt said he was satisfied that Singh had likely received the cocaine from another truck driver at a travel centre, as argued by the prosecution. However, the exact time when he received the drugs was not important, the judge said. The cocaine was in his possession when he entered Canada, and he knew it was inside the trailer.

Singh had pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The case relates to the seizure of around 40 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth between $3.6 million and $4.8 million, from two boxes inside Singh's truck on the Canadian side of the Blue Water Bridge on April 26, 2024.

How the cocaine was allegedly smuggled ?

During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Singh received packets of cocaine from another truck at a Pilot Travel Center in Channahon, Illinois.

He then allegedly bought cardboard boxes from a Home Depot store in Shorewood, Illinois, packed the drugs into them and loaded them onto his trailer at a yard on Sanders Road in Lansing, Michigan. The boxes were reportedly hidden inside a pallet containing other goods.

Singh admitted that cocaine was found in his trailer at the Blue Water Bridge but denied knowing how it had got there. He told the court that his company owner had instructed him to purchase cardboard boxes from Home Depot and leave them with another truck at the Michigan yard. He also said that while he was there, he saw an unidentified man and left his truck unattended for around 10 to 15 minutes to use the washroom.

Singh maintained that nobody had handed him the drugs and that he had no knowledge of how the cocaine ended up inside his trailer. Singh, who was released on bail of $200,000 in early May 2024, will remain out on bail until his sentencing. The sentencing hearing has been scheduled for February.