By Patrick Burles - (@PatrickBurles on Twitter) with files from Lara Fominoff (@LaraFominoff on Twitter)

CBSA officers make record seizure of suspected cocaine at Carway port of entry

Mar 22, 2018 | 12:42 PM

RAYMOND – The Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP are celebrating a significant bust of suspected cocaine at the Carway port of entry last weekend.

During a media conference Thursday morning, Mar. 22, they revealed that a secondary inspection of an SUV on Saturday, Mar. 17, led them to a hidden panel in the vehicle’s trunk, where they found 31 bricks of the suspected drug, weighing 31 kg.

“The compartment was made of steel, locked from the inside and connected to the vehicle’s electrical wiring,” explained Guy Rook, CBSA director for southern Alberta, as he discussed the discovery. “Officers suspected the opening mechanism could only be activated by pressing a sequence of buttons on the vehicle console. So, they drilled through the compartment and white powder emerged.”

Rook noted that a field test of the substance was positive for narcotics, and had it hit the streets, it would have produced approximately 310,000 hits for users.

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“To the drug traffickers seeking to harm our communities, know that these latest seizures have made us more determined than ever,” Rook stated. “Our borders remain open to legitimate travel and trade, but categorically closed to organized crime.”

Also speaking at Thursday’s conference was RCMP Insp. Allan Lai. While they do have 26-year-old Bradley Michael Gaudrault of Fort McMurray in custody in connection with the bust, Lai added to Rook’s comments, saying their investigation will likely go beyond one man.

“What I can tell you is the fact that 31 kg of cocaine being brought into our country is definitely not being used for personal consumption, so we definitely believe that there is some connection to an organized crime element here,” Lai told the assembled media.

“A very conservative estimate – street value for this amount of cocaine, if sold at the ground level – could be worth anywhere between $1.4 million to $3.1 million or more, depending on how it was mixed, cut, and sold,” Lai added.

During a brief appearance via CCTV in Lethbridge Provincial Court on Thursday, it was noted that Gaudrault has retained Lethbridge lawyer, James Rouleau. The matter, which includes two counts under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, was then adjourned to Monday, Mar. 26, with the Crown prosecutor stating that they are opposed to his release.

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