ONTARIO, Canada–Border officials in Canada found almost 20 kilos of cocaine in a shipment of hot peppers from Trinidad and Tobago recently.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced in a statement issued Monday that the discovery was made on June 23, in a shipment that arrived at the Toronto Pearson International Airport from Port of Spain.
According to the agency, CBSA officers were in the offloading area when they pointed out two suspicious boxes. When the officers opened the boxes, they found 17 brick-shaped packages under hot peppers.
All cargo on the flight was transferred to CBSA facilities for X-ray examination while officers carried out a search of the entire aircraft. A sample of the packages in the box was cut open and tested positive for cocaine, which was turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The CBSA statement did not disclose either the sender or intended recipient of the illegal cargo.
“The continued vigilance of our officers enables us to successfully intercept the illegal importation of narcotics, fulfilling our commitment to protect the safety of Canadians and our communities,” said Goran Vragovic, CBSA Regional Director General, Greater Toronto Area Region, after the seizure.
So far this year, CBSA officers in the Greater Toronto Area have seized over 678 kilograms of suspected cocaine.