Punjabi trucker held for smuggling 83 kg cocaine into Canada
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Aug, 2021 04:48 PM
A Punjabi truck driver has been arrested here for smuggling about 83 kg of cocaine from the United States into Canada.
Gurdeep Singh Mangat, 46, from the Punjabi-dominated city of Brampton in Toronto suburbs was arrested when he drove his commercial truck into Canada at the Blue Water Bridge entry point from the US.
When his truck was referred for a secondary inspection, Canadian border agents discovered and seized about 83 kg of cocaine from his truck.
Mangat was arrested and charged with importing banned drugs in violation of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and possessing banned drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
Defence lawyer Tony Paisana urged the B.C. Supreme Court judge in the case to consider the four alleged abuses of process as "branches of the same tree" and assess their cumulative impact.
As of 12:01 a.m. Monday, American citizens and permanent residents were allowed back on Canadian soil, provided they have had a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada.
On August 6, 2021, at approximately 2:55 a.m., Surrey RCMP received a report of collision involving a garbage truck and a pedestrian in the 10600-block of King George Blvd.
Farnworth said a small group of residents in the Monte Lake area refused to leave their homes and had to be rescued by firefighters with the BC Wildfire Service after they were surrounded by fire.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the Delta variant is driving the rapid spread in the area, accounting for 80 per cent of the COVID-19 cases among those who aren't vaccinated or who have only had one shot.
81.8% (3,790,394) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 68.9% (3,195,128) received their second dose.
