By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Suspected cocaine intercepted at Coutts border crossing

Dec 21, 2017 | 3:07 PM

CALGARY – For the second time this month, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and RCMP have seized a significant quantity of suspected narcotics at the Courts border crossing.

On Sunday, Dec. 17, CBSA officers at Coutts searched a commercial vehicle that was hauling produce from California to an Alberta business. Officers located 17 bricks of suspected cocaine with a total weight of 21 kilograms inside a closet area in the cab of the truck.

The 39-year-old Calgary driver was subsequently arrested and turned over to the RCMP, along with the cocaine.

“The success of this investigation is proof that collaboration and intelligence sharing with our law enforcement partners goes a long way in reducing criminal activity in our communities and keeping Albertans and Canadians safe,” said Guy Rook, CBSA director for southern Alberta, in a media release.

Authorities also noted that if the suspected cocaine had been street ready, it would have been enough for over 20,000 hits. A call to the agency regarding the estimated street value of the drugs was not immediately returned.

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Kuldeep Singh has been charged with four counts under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and will appear in Lethbridge Provincial Court.

This bust follows another at the same crossing on Dec. 2, in which 99.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine was intercepted. In that case, the drugs carried an estimated street value between $6.7 Million to $8.4 Million.