U.S. residents attempting to cross the border at the Port of Osoyoos in June were caught attempting to come into Canada with guns and drugs.
On June 3, two U.S. residents declared two long rifles and were referred by Canadian Border Services Agents to a more in-deth examination. Stefanie Wudel, spokesperson for the CBSA, said when the officers went to retrieve the declared rifles, they found several undeclared items including a large glass jar filled with suspected marijuana, a concealed semi-automatic handgun, two prohibited high-capacity rifle magazines, a pipe with residue and a grinder with residue all concealed in the vehicle.
Wudel said the travellers were arrested and the items were seized with no terms of release. The travellers were turned over to the USCBP after paying $1,550 for the release of their vehicle.
U.S. residents en-route to Alaska for a vacation on June 28 told CBSA they planned to spend a few days in Canada. The travellers were referred for secondary examination where the detector dog team conducted a search of their trailer. Wudel said the detector dog team discovered a tin with drug paraphernalia, rolling papers and suspected marijuana concealed under clothing and other items. The traveller was arrested and two grams of suspected marijuana were seized. The traveler was returned to the United States for committing an offence upon entry.
Border agents then caught a U.S. traveller on June 8 attempted to cross to deliver some furniture. System checks revealed convictions for forgery and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell the narcotics. Wudel said the traveller stated that some of the charges were dismissed, however he had no evidence for this information. The man was provided with a rehabilitation package and instructions before being returned to the United States.
The Port of Osoyoos border services officers processed 44,643 travellers for the month of June, which Wudel said was one per cent higher than the same period last year.