Daijiworld Media Network - Toronto
Toronto, Nov 12: A 33-year-old Indian-origin Sikh truck driver from the Toronto area has been convicted by an Ontario court in Canada for importing nearly 40 kg of cocaine, valued at up to $4.8 million, into the country through the Blue Water Bridge in April 2024.
The accused, Ranjit Singh, was found guilty of importing a controlled substance and possessing it for the purpose of trafficking by Ontario Superior Court Justice Scott Pratt on Monday. The verdict followed a three-week trial held in Sarnia in June.
In his ruling, Justice Pratt said he did not believe Singh's account of the incident, pointing to several inconsistencies in his testimony.
The judge said he was satisfied that Singh had likely received the cocaine from another truck driver at a travel centre, as alleged by the Crown prosecution. However, he said the precise time when Singh obtained the drugs was immaterial, as the cocaine was in his possession when he entered Canada and he knew it was inside the trailer.
The case relates to the seizure of approximately 40 kg of cocaine, valued between $3.6 million and $4.8 million, from two boxes discovered in Singh's truck on the Canadian side of the Blue Water Bridge on April 26, 2024.
During the trial, the Crown alleged that Singh obtained bricks of cocaine from another truck at a Pilot Travel Center in Channahon, Illinois. He then allegedly purchased cardboard boxes from a Home Depot store in Shorewood, Illinois, packed the drugs into them and loaded the boxes onto his trailer at a yard on Sanders Road in Lansing, Michigan.
According to the prosecution, the boxes containing the cocaine were concealed within a pallet of other goods before Singh drove towards Canada.
Singh, however, denied the allegations and maintained that although the drugs were discovered inside his trailer at the border, he had neither received them nor knew how they had ended up there.
In his testimony, Singh said his company owner had instructed him to purchase cardboard boxes from Home Depot and leave them with another truck at the Michigan yard. He claimed that while at the location, he noticed an unidentified man and left his truck unattended for around 10 to 15 minutes while he went to the bathroom.
Singh pleaded not guilty to both charges but was convicted after the court rejected his explanation.
He was released on bail of $200,000 in early May 2024 and will remain out on bail pending sentencing. The sentencing hearing has been scheduled for February.