Joint CBSA and OPP investigation leads to arrest and charges for drug importation and trafficking
Canada News Centre
24 May 2025, 00:30 GMT+10
May 23, 2025
Ottawa, Ontario
A 47-year-old was arrested and is facing drug related charges after a joint investigation involving the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, the CBSA conducted a secondary inspection of a package from Italy arriving at the Ottawa International Airport. Testing determined the contents was heroin.
The CBSA requested assistance from the OPP Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU).
On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the joint investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant by CSCU members, as well as members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau and CBSA, at a residence on Red Castle Ride, in the Manotick area of Ottawa. One person was arrested the scene.
Harvinder Singh Malhi of Ottawa has been charged under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act with: Import Schedule 1 substance
Possession a of Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking
The accused has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa on June 24, 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
36 minutes ago
- Cision Canada
Government of Canada strengthens border security Français
OTTAWA, ON, June 3, 2025 /CNW/ - A strong Canada means strong borders. Today, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety introduced the Bill, the Strong Borders Act to strengthen our laws and keep Canadians safe. The Bill will keep Canadians safe by ensuring law enforcement has the right tools to keep our borders secure, combat transnational organized crime, stop the flow of illegal fentanyl, and crack down on money laundering. It will bolster our response to increasingly sophisticated criminal networks, and enhance the integrity and fairness of our immigration system while protecting Canadians' privacy and Charter rights. Amend the Customs Act to secure our borders against illicit drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and auto theft: obligating owners and operators at certain ports of entry/exit to provide, equip, and maintain facilities for any purpose related to the administration and enforcement of CBSA's mandate which includes the examination and detention of goods destined for export; allowing the CBSA access to premises under the control of transporters and warehouse operators to perform examinations in places where goods destined for export are reported, loaded, unloaded, or stored. Amend the Oceans Act to add security-related activities to coast guard services, which will enable the Canadian Coast Guard to conduct security patrols and collect, analyse and disseminate information and intelligence for security purposes; Enhance the ability of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to share information collected on registered sex offenders with domestic and international law enforcement partners; Protect the asylum system against sudden increases in claims by introducing new ineligibility rules. Improve how asylum claims are received, processed, and decided; Strengthen authorities to cancel, suspend or change immigration documents, and to cancel, suspend or stop accepting new applications; and Improve how Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shares client information with federal, provincial and territorial partners. Combatting transnational organized crime and illegal fentanyl Create a new accelerated scheduling pathway that allows precursor chemicals that can be used to produce illicit drugs to be rapidly controlled by the Minister of Health. This will allow law and border enforcement agencies to take swift action to prevent their illegal importation and use and to ensure strict federal oversight over any legitimate use of these chemicals; Amend the Criminal Code and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act to facilitate law enforcement's access to basic information and data, and amend the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Act to ensure CSIS's investigative tools also keep pace; Introduce the Supporting Authorized Access to Information Act (SAAIA) to ensure that electronic service providers have the capabilities to support law enforcement agencies and the CSIS in criminal and intelligence investigations by compelling them to fulfill legally authorized requests to access or intercept information and communications; Amend the Canada Post Corporation Act to remove barriers that prevent police from searching the mail, where authorized to do so in accordance with an Act of Parliament, to advance a criminal investigation; and Expand Canada Post's inspection authority to open mail. Disrupting illicit financing Strengthen Canada's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime, including through stronger anti-money laundering penalties; Address some of the most prevalent types of money laundering, including through new restrictions on large cash transactions and 'third party deposits'; Enhance supervisory collaboration and support high standards of regulatory compliance by adding the Director of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) to the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee (FISC) and enabling FINTRAC to exchange supervisory information on federally regulated financial institutions with FISC; and Clarify public to private information sharing provisions to help better detect and deter money laundering and support the recently created Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership (IMLIP) between banks and law enforcement. The Strong Borders Act is a key component of our plan to build a safer and more secure Canada. Further action will be announced over the coming months to keep our communities safe, get guns off our streets, and make bail harder to get for repeat offenders charged with car theft, home invasions, human trafficking and drug smuggling. Quotes "Our government made a commitment to keep our communities safe and work with our American partners to strengthen our border. The Strong Borders Act will help us tackle organized crime, and further equip our border and law enforcement agencies with the authorities and resources they need to keep our border secure – for both American and Canadian communities." - The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety "Canada is taking action to respond to rising migration pressures. We're improving security at the Canada-US border and making our immigration and asylum systems stronger, more flexible, and responsive to new and developing pressures. This is about protecting the integrity of our system while building a safer and more resilient Canada." - The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship "Canada is stepping up in the fight against transnational financial crime. This bill will strengthen supervision and enforcement to combat money laundering and terrorist financing – reinforcing our government's commitment to stop illicit financial flows." - The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue "Canada's criminal laws must keep pace with an evolving landscape. This legislation strengthens the tools available to law enforcement to detect and investigate serious crimes, while upholding the Charter rights of people in Canada and respecting the rule of law." - The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency ""Expanding the Canadian Coast Guard's services to include security activities will help ensure the protection and sovereignty of our vast coasts and waterways. With our extensive fleet and experience on the water, we are well positioned to make a significant contribution to Canada's national security, making the country stronger, more adaptable, and more responsive." - The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries ""This legislation will give Canada stronger tools in the fight against fentanyl so together with all levels of government, Indigenous communities, and public health and law enforcement partners, we can save lives and keep our communities safe." - The Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health "Canada's new Government is committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians. The proposed amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act will help stop the flow of drugs in Canada. This will help to prevent thousands of overdoses and save lives." - The Honourable Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement Quick Facts Through Canada's Border Plan, the Government of Canada is investing $1.3 billion in concrete action to keep communities safe on both sides of the border. The Border Plan provides $200 million to Public Safety Canada and the Communications Security Establishment Canada to support enhanced gathering of intelligence on transnational organized crime and illegal fentanyl, and enable sharing with law enforcement partners across Canada and the United States. Moreover, providing $743.5 million over five years, including $159.5 million ongoing, was provided to support the stability and integrity of Canada's asylum system, increasing processing and decision-making capacity. In recent years, the Government has invested more than $379 million to strengthen the effectiveness of Canada's Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime, and made or is making legislative and regulatory changes, including by providing new tools to law enforcement, adding new criminal offences and strengthening penalties, enhancing information sharing, expanding the Regime to new sectors at risk of money laundering, and providing the CBSA with new authorities to pursue trade-based money laundering. The Canada Border Services Agency is Canada's first line of defence at 1,200 ports of entry across the country. Day in and day out, approximately 8,600 frontline personnel play a crucial role protecting our communities by preventing illegal goods and inadmissible people from entering Canada. For more on the CBSA's enforcement actions visit: Canada Border Services Agency enforcement action statistics. The Government of Canada is committed to recruiting 1,000 more RCMP personnel to tackle drug and human trafficking, foreign interference, cybercrime, and the organized criminal gangs, as well as to the hiring of over 1000 additional CBSA personnel, including border services officers, intelligence analysts and specialized chemists, and the training of up to 9 new detector dog teams. Associated Links Stay connected Contacts: Alice Hansen, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]; Chantalle Aubertin, Deputy Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canada Border Services Agency, 1-877-761-5945, [email protected]; Audrey Milette, Office of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Finance Canada, [email protected], 613-369-4000; Mathis Denis, Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Joël Lightbound, 343-573-1846, [email protected]; Media Relations, Transformation, Public Services and Procurement, 819-420-5501, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, 613-231-0100, [email protected]; Renée LeBlanc Proctor, Press Secretary, Minister's Office, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, [email protected]; Media Relations, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-952-1650, [email protected]; Media Relations, Health Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, [email protected]
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Police in Cornwall, Ont. seize hundreds of thousands of contraband tobacco products in first three months of 2025
Police in Cornwall, Ont. seized more than half a million dollars worth of contraband tobacco products in the first three months of the year. The RCMP allege that several individuals have attempted to smuggle unstamped tobacco, cigarettes, cigars and nicotine pouches into Ontario. During the first three months of 2025, officers with the Cornwall Regional Taskforce — made up of the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Ontario Ministry of Finance — arrested 13 people from Ontario, Quebec, and New York following seizures of unstamped tobacco and nicotine pouches. One of the largest seizures happened on Jan. 7, when officers stopped a vehicle at the border and found 280,000 cigarettes. The driver, from Saint Regis, Que. and the passenger, from Hogansburg, N.Y., were charged. Over the course of three months, police say they seized 633 kilograms of unstamped tobacco. In addition to the 280,000 cigarettes, officers also seized 180,380 nicotine pouches, 17,400 cigars and 1,440 ounces of chewing tobacco. Eight vehicles were also seized during the investigations.
Cision Canada
a day ago
- Cision Canada
Police have a busy winter at the Cornwall border
CORNWALL, ON, /CNW/ - Between January 1, 2025 and April 1, 2025, the Ontario RCMP Border Integrity team and its partners in the Cornwall region, laid multiple charges and seized a total of $561,568 worth of contraband tobacco products. The RCMP allege that several individuals have attempted to smuggle unstamped tobacco, cigarettes, cigars and nicotine pouches which are being unlawfully imported for unregulated resale in convenience stores and other retail outlets into Ontario. The Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) is a joint task force made up of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Ontario Ministry of Finance. We work closely with our trusted Canadian and US partners to combat crime on both sides of the border. On January 7 th, a CBSA led initiative partnering with the Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) stopped a vehicle under Section 99(1)(f) of the Customs Act and a search of the vehicle found 28 boxes of unstamped tobacco with a total of 280,000 cigarettes. Driver James Johnson (34 yrs.), from Saint Regis, QC was charged with Possession of Unstamped Tobacco under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001 and Operation while Prohibited under Section 320.18 of the Criminal Code. Passenger Dylan David (35 yrs.), from Hogansburg, NY was charged with Possession of Unstamped Tobacco under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001 and Section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) for Possession of a Schedule 1 Drug - Fentanyl. On January 12 th, a vehicle was examined by the CBSA under Section 99(1)(f) of the Customs Act and found to contain 9,360 unstamped cigars. Nadir Khedidem (23 yrs.), from Mirabel, QC was charged by the RCMP pursuant to Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001 and was convicted. On January 16 th, two vehicles that had crossed the Cornwall border were stopped and searched under Section 99(1)(f) of the Customs Act and a total of 18 cases of nicotine pouches, for a total of 36,000 pouches were seized. Reese Hitterman-Carr (24 yrs.) from Lancaster, ON and Adam Bomberry (31 yrs.) from Akwesasne, NY were arrested and charged under Sections 155 and 159 (1) of the Customs Act. On January 27 th, Lawrence Oakes (22 yrs) from Cornwall was arrested by Cornwall RCMP after fleeing from a secondary examination by CBSA officers at the border and striking a marked Police vehicle. Oakes is charged with Assaulting a Police Officer with a weapon, Dangerous Driving, Flight from Police and Fail to Comply to Release Order. In late February, a CBSA led initiative partnering with the CRTF collaborated to arrest, Robert Green (32 yrs.), from Ohsweken, ON under Sections 155 and 159(1) of the Customs Act and Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001 for possession of 37,000 nicotine pouches, 7200 cigars and 1440 ounces of chewing tobacco for a total of $294,560. Green was released on an undertaking andappeared in court on May 20 th. On February 26 th a CBSA led initiative partnering with the CRTF spotted three individuals behind a restaurant in Cornwall where they were allegedly exchanging nicotine pouches from the trunks of their vehicles. RCMP arrested all three males on Customs Act charges and seized over $ 160 Thousand dollars' worth of nicotine pouches. Nasim El Bendago (22 yrs.) from Gatineau, QC, Zahir Taskie (20 yrs.) from Orleans, ON, and Mark Wesley (24 yrs.) from Scarborough, ON were arrested under Sections 155 and 159(1) of the Customs Act for possession of these nicotine pouches. Wesley also faces charges for possession for the purpose of trafficking under Section 5 (2) of the CDSA. All three were released on undertakings and will appear in court on June 3 rd. On February 24 th, Megan Morin (22 yrs.) from Longueuil, QC was found with a total of 255 cartons of illegal cigars which was seized from the trunk of the vehicle she was driving. Morin was charged with Possession of Unstamped Tobacco, contrary to Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001, released on an undertaking and was convicted on May 7 th. In March, law enforcement seized 3,122 tins of flavoured nicotine pouches from a driver allegedly attempting to illegally import them across the Cornwall border. The male driver was arrested initially under Sections 155 and 159(1) of the Customs Act, however, has subsequently been released without charges. On March 8 th, a traffic stop led the OPP and RCMP to an observation of a total of 2,532 tins of Unstamped Tobacco valued at over $56,000 which was seized immediately. The driver, Asiful Haque (27 yrs.) from Scarborough, ON was arrested under Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001 for Unlawful Possession of Unstamped Tobacco. Haque was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on May 29 th. "Thanks to the CBSA, OPP, OPP-BEST, Ontario Ministry of Finance, and Cornwall RCMP for their dedicated collaboration which continues to produce successful results, taking contraband, including nicotine pouches, off our streets." — Inspector Etienne Thauvette, Officer in Charge RCMP Cornwall Detachment "Canada Border Services Agency officers are committed to disrupting organized crime. By intercepting contraband, we stop proceeds from being reinvested into other criminal activity. We will continue to work closely with the RCMP and other law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe." — Jag Johnston, Regional Director General, CBSA Northern Ontario Region "The OPP is committed to working with our provincial and national partners to stem the flow of contraband tobacco, as well as illegal drugs and firearms, contributing to safer communities." – OPP Acting Detective Inspector Tyler Stewart, Border Enforcement Security Task Force Product Seized Vehicles seized Fast facts: Ontario RCMP Border Integrity protect over 2,700km of the Canada-US border from Cornwall through the Great Lakes to the Manitoba border. The Canada-US border is the longest, safest border in the world. Oral nicotine pouches over the 4mg limit as per the Food and Drugs Act are classified as prescription drugs as per Health Canada's prescription drug list. No person other than one of following shall import a prescription drug: a practitioner, a drug manufacturer, a wholesale druggist, a pharmacist or a resident of a foreign country while a visitor to Canada (policy of a 90-day supply). Its effects are widespread, impacting public health, public safety, government revenue, and the broader economy. Revenues from contraband tobacco often support organized crime activities, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and firearms smuggling. Smuggling networks engage in violent activities and corruption, increasing risks to the public and law enforcement agencies. The Canada Border Services Agency screens goods coming into Canada and examines more closely those that may pose a threat to the safety of Canadians. For the latest enforcement statistics, visit Canada Border Services Agency seizures. If you have any information related to smuggling, drug importation, trafficking, or possession, or wish to report other criminality, you can contact the Ontario RCMP at 1-800-387-0020, the confidential CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), at any time. Canada Border Services Agency Media Relations [email protected] Media Line: 1-877-761-5945 or 613-957-6500 Website: Twitter: @CanBorder Facebook: CanBorder Instagram: CanBorder YouTube: CanBorder SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Central Region
