Couple found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Canada at Coutts

Officers with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) found 84 bricks of cocaine inside weighing about 99.5 kilograms including packaging.

Depending on how the drugs are packaged and sold, the crown says it could have had a street value between $3.7 million and $5 million.

At the time of the offence, it was the largest-ever seizure of cocaine at Coutts.

Throughout the six-day trial, the essential element was whether or not the married couple was aware that the drugs were in their commercial vehicle.

Closing arguments wrapped up early Monday afternoon and the jury returned with its verdict about seven to eight hours later. Court was called to reconvene for the decision around 8:30 pm.

Court heard that the Toors were bringing produce from Southern California to the Costco in Airdrie.

The defence had tried to argue that the drugs could have been placed in the vehicle unbeknownst to the pair when they stopped at a gas station in Great Falls, Montana.

The crown, however, believed that this would not make any sense as drug dealers would be unlikely to put millions of dollars worth of product in a vehicle if the occupants were not willing participants.

In the defence’s scenario, the crown stated that the theoretical dealers would not know who the Toors are, where they were going, how long they would have been in the gas station, or if they would ever be able to reconnect with the vehicle and recover the drugs on the other side of the border.

A date for sentencing is expected to be set on May 10, 2021.

by David Opinko

Couple found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Canada at Coutts

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