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Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Cocaine found in commercial truck seized by border officials trying to enter Canada
The CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) say almost 190 kilograms of suspected cocaine was seized by border officials at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont. On May 23, CBSA said border officers intercepted a commercial truck coming into Canada from the United States where 187.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine was found. In a secondary examination of the trailer, CBSA said two suitcases and five garbage backs were discovered — containing 161 bricks of suspected cocaine. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The value of the cocaine is estimated to be approximately $23.4 million, CBSA said. The drugs were seized and a 55-year-old driver from Richmond Hill, Ont. was arrested and transferred to the RCMP. CBSA said the driver was charged by the RCMP with importation of cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Story continues below advertisement 'The CBSA is continually adapting to be in a position to stop criminals by disrupting their evolving smuggling and concealment attempts,' said Michael Prosia with CBSA. 'We use all tools and intelligence at our disposal to stop narcotics from reaching our streets.' Another 161 bricks of suspected cocaine was seized last month at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry in Point Edward, Ont. Border agents said a commercial truck arrived from the United States and the bricks were contained in six boxes. A 27-year-old Brampton man was arrested in that case.
Cision Canada
2 hours ago
- Cision Canada
CBSA seizes 187.5 kg of cocaine at the Ambassador Bridge leading to criminal charges by the RCMP Français
WINDSOR, ON, July 22, 2025 /CNW/ - On May 23, 2025, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) border services officers at the Ambassador Bridge port of entry intercepted 187.5 kg of suspected cocaine concealed in the trailer of a commercial truck coming into Canada from the United States. During a secondary examination of the trailer, CBSA officers discovered two suitcases and 5 garbage bags containing 161 bricks of suspected cocaine. The approximate value of the cocaine is $23.4 million. CBSA officers seized the drugs and arrested the driver, Kambiz Karandish, 55, of Richmond Hill, Ontario, and transferred him and the suspected cocaine to the custody of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Karandish has been charged by the RCMP with Importation of Cocaine, and Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The CBSA and the RCMP are committed to protecting our communities from harmful contraband and organized crime. The investigation is ongoing. Quotes "When CBSA intercepts an attempt to smuggle illegal drugs into Canada, they are acting as our first line of defence against organized crime and those who would profit from the illegal drug trade. In tandem with the RCMP, they are protecting communities throughout Canada and demonstrating to us all that keeping our borders secure is a national public safety priority." - The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety "The ongoing efforts of our border services officers to intercept narcotics and weapons is to be commended. The CBSA is continually adapting to be in a position to stop criminals by disrupting their evolving smuggling and concealment attempts. We use all tools and intelligence at our disposal to stop narcotics from reaching our streets." - Michael Prosia, Regional Director General, Southern Ontario Region, Canada Border Services Agency "The coordinated efforts of CBSA and the RCMP has once again kept a large quantity of dangerous drugs off the streets of Canadian communities. This successful seizure highlights the RCMP's ongoing commitment to disrupt and dismantle organized crime, and is a testament to the dedication and collaboration between our law enforcement partners." - Superintendent James Parr, Acting Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations, RCMP Central Region Quick Facts Canada is investing $1.3 billion to bolster security at the border and strengthen the immigration system, all while keeping Canadians safe. Information on the Border Plan is available here: The Government of Canada's Border Plan: significant investments to strengthen border security and our immigration system. Smuggling narcotics and other Customs Act contraventions may lead to prosecution in a court of law. For foreign nationals, this may mean removal from Canada and a ban on returning to Canada. For the latest narcotics statistics, visit Canada Border Services Agency seizures. If you have information about suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060.
Global News
a day ago
- Politics
- Global News
Public safety minister defends letters supporting terror group ‘member' as routine
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Monday he was only doing his duty as an MP when he wrote letters supporting an alleged terrorist group member's immigration application. Responding to reporters' questions about the matter for the first time, Anandasangaree downplayed his involvement in the national security case as the routine work of a Member of Parliament. 'One of the major responsibilities of any Member of Parliament, anyone elected, is provision of services to individuals seeking help from our offices,' he told reporters at a media event in Toronto. 'So this is part and parcel of the work that every Member of Parliament does, and in this particular case, I was executing my duties as a Member of Parliament, one that I believe constituents expect me to do.' Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Anandasangaree minister of public safety in May, putting him in charge of Canada's national security defences, including the Canada Border Services Agency. Story continues below advertisement But questions were raised last month when Anandasangaree recused himself from decisions related to the Tamil Tigers and its Canadian front group, the World Tamil Movement. Then last week, Global News reported that before joining cabinet, Anandasangaree asked CBSA officials to approve the permanent residence application of a man they had deemed a Tamil Tigers member. 2:12 Carney says he still has confidence in public safety minister The Tamil Tigers, or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, fought a lengthy failed independence war in Sri Lanka and have been on Canada's list of designated terrorist entities since 2006. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Although the CBSA had rejected the man as an immigrant on the grounds that he was a former member of a listed terrorist group, Anandasangaree asked officials to reverse their decision. An activist and lawyer before becoming a Toronto-area Liberal MP in 2015, Anandasangaree said his letters were 'in the context of an individual, Canadian citizen, who is seeking to reunite with her husband.' Story continues below advertisement 'In this particular case, like all cases, there is advocacy involved and part of that involves letters of support and that's exactly what was done in this case,' he told reporters on Monday. He said his riding office had handled 'over 9,500 cases' ranging from immigration applications to 'issues around Canada Revenue Agency, old age security, disability benefits and so on.' When a reporter pointed out that the case involved national security, and he is now the public safety minister, Anandasangaree said MPs were permitted to advocate for would-be immigrants. But he said doing so 'would be inappropriate' in his current role. 'I have instructed my office not to issue support letters of that nature because ultimately the decision will be coming to me as an individual.' 2:10 Cabinet minister under scrutiny over letters supporting terror group 'member' His last support letter for the person was sent just days before Anandasangaree joined cabinet in 2023. It concerned Senthuran Selvakumaran, a Sri Lankan citizen who has been trying to immigrate since 2005. Story continues below advertisement Canadian border security officials have repeatedly rejected his application because he told them he had worked for the Tamil Tigers. He also told British refugee officials he had worked for the group. After his bid to join his wife in Toronto was turned down, Selvakumaran changed his story and denied working for the terror group. He explained his initial statements as the result of bad legal advice. On July 9, the Federal Court rejected Selvakumaran's latest appeal, saying that despite the MP's letter of support, the CBSA had correctly prioritized national security and public safety. An organization founded by victims of terrorism, Secure Canada, said last week that no MPs 'should intervene on behalf of someone the CBSA has found to be a member and on the payroll of a terror group, period.' The group's CEO, Sheryl Saperia, said Anandasangaree's letters had focused on the emotional impact of the man's separation from his wife in Toronto, which she called a 'ridiculous argument.'
a day ago
- Politics
Canada's deportation of alleged Mafia boss hinges on foreign eavesdropping
A federal deportation appeal on Monday that will decide whether an alleged Mafia boss must return to his native Italy is raising questions about foreign interference and constitutional rights in Canada. At stake is the question of whether a foreign government should be able to arrange warrantless surveillance of a person on Canadian soil, and then use evidence obtained in a Canadian legal proceeding. Vincenzo Jimmy DeMaria was born in Siderno, Italy, but has resided in Canada for most of his life. Siderno is in the poor, southern region of Calabria — the toe on the boot of the Italian peninsula. The seaside town was home to a group of family clans of the Calabrian Mafia known as 'Ndrangheta that began to migrate to the Toronto area in the 1950s. The DeMaria family arrived in Canada in 1955 when Vincenzo DeMaria was just nine months old. Despite living in the country for all of his 71 years, he would never become a Canadian citizen. Both the Italian and Canadian governments declined to speak directly about the case. However, court filings provide a clearer picture of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)'s allegations against the alleged mob boss. 'Ndrangheta, a powerful Mafia in Canada The 'Ndrangheta surpassed the Sicilian Mafia to become Italy's most powerful organized crime group many years ago, and it has spread its operations across Europe and the world, most notably Canada (new window) . In Toronto the 'Ndrangheta has been targeted in some of the biggest police operations of recent years, such as Project Sindacato (new window) in 2019, which focused on its illegal gambling operations. Canadian police have identified the most prominent branch of the 'Ndrangheta operating in Canada as the Siderno Group, sometimes referred to in Italy as the Society of Siderno, because of its origins in DeMaria's hometown. A joint police operation in the Toronto area in 2019 targeted an illegal gambling ring connected to the 'Ndrangheta Mafia. Photo: York Regional Police/Twitter Members of the group have allegedly accumulated considerable wealth through drug-smuggling, loan-sharking and other illegal activities, and were even able to infiltrate Canadian banks (new window) . The Government of Canada has argued that DeMaria is a senior figure in that criminal underworld, which he denies. His lawyer Jessica Zita told CBC News that DeMaria is a property manager. He owns a number of properties and he manages all of them. Previously he was in the financial services business, she said. Italian police, however, have described him as one of the most senior leaders of the 'Ndrangheta in Canada, and a member of the group's Camera di Controllo, the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia's Commission. DeMaria has denied those allegations. A murder in Little Italy In 1981, DeMaria shot a fellow Italian immigrant seven times in Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood, and received a second-degree murder conviction for which he served eight years in prison. Because of that conviction he was never able to obtain Canadian citizenship and, like all convicted murderers, DeMaria is on parole for life, making him subject to re-arrest at any time. DeMaria has spent much of his life fighting to remain in Canada. His original deportation order, resulting from his murder conviction, was quashed in 1996. He was arrested again in 2009 and 2013 for associating with organized crime figures in violation of his parole conditions, which bar him from contact with even his own brother. In April 2018, he was ordered deported again on grounds of organized criminality, and placed in detention in the Collins Bay Institution in Ontario, pending appeal, only to be released into house arrest in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he had his own health complications. A visit from the old country While he was in prison in 2019, a murder in Siderno triggered a string of events that would become central to his case. A high-ranking mafioso called Carmelo Mino Muià was ambushed (new window) , and his brother Vincenzo Muià set off on a quest to find out who did it. Police have suggested he may also have been seeking the permission of the 'Ndrangheta's governing body to take revenge. His journey brought him to Canada, where he visited his second cousin DeMaria in prison at Collins Bay. What Muià didn't know was that the Italian Carabinieri — equivalent to Canada's RCMP — had installed spyware that effectively turned his phone into a microphone that was always on. In order to record his conversations on Canadian soil, however, they needed the co-operation of Canadian police. The Italians asked York Regional Police (YRP) for assistance both in intercepting communications and in maintaining surveillance on Muià while he was in Canada. But a Canadian Crown lawyer who was asked to review the request argued it should not be granted. Jeffery Pearson sent a letter to police in March 2019 stating that that he had found an insufficient basis to authorize surveillance under Part VI of the Criminal Code. He said there were no reasonable and probable grounds to believe that either Mr. Muià or [travelling companion] Mr. Gregoarci have committed, or are committing, an offence in Canada. 'Illegal' surveillance, lawyers argue DeMaria's lawyers argue in their petition that things should have stopped right there. Despite Pearson's clear denunciation and without the required judicial authorization, YRP moved ahead with the investigation and Mr. Muià's conversations during that time were illegally intercepted. They say the Muià was not only bugged but also placed under physical surveillance, without seeking judicial authorization and ignoring the legal advice given by Pearson. Enlarge image (new window) The joint investigation Project Sindacato resulted in major busts but the case later fell apart due to alleged illegal activity by police. Photo: CBC / Martin Trainor If they are successful, it would not be the first time that over-aggressive surveillance by York Regional Police may have sabotaged a case against alleged 'Ndrangheta members. Prosecutions arising from the Project Sindacato investigation, announced with great fanfare in 2019, ultimately fell apart (new window) in 2021 because YRP investigators were accused of eavesdropping on privileged conversations between the accused and their attorneys. Precedent for more snooping? DeMaria's lawyers dispute CBSA's arguments that the recordings made on Muià's phone support its contention that DeMaria is involved in organized crime. Only transcripts have been provided to Canadian courts and those appear to include lengthy sections that are paraphrased rather than verbatim. They also dispute whether references to a Jimmy in the recordings are really even about their client. And DeMaria's defence has poured scorn on the use of a police informant, Carmine Guido, who at times professed ignorance about the inner workings of the 'Ndrangheta, and who also made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling drugs while working with police. But their main argument against the CBSA's effort to remove DeMaria is that it relies on illegal recordings made at the instigation of a foreign government without regard for Canadian laws and civil liberties. If the precedent is allowed to stand, Zita says, what that's saying is any foreign government can listen to us. She argued that the admission of paraphrased discussions that aren't authenticated, that aren't tested, would also set a dangerous precedent. CBSA says all laws followed While declining to discuss DeMaria's case specifically, CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy told CBC News that officials follow the law. "CBSA has a legal obligation to remove all foreign nationals found to be inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (new window) ," she said. There are multiple steps built into the process to ensure procedural fairness and the CBSA only actions a removal order once all legal avenues of recourse have been exhausted. Zita says it's not that CBSA broke the law, but rather that it's relying partly on evidence collected illegally by York Regional Police. That, she said, must not be allowed to stand. [Officials could] find ways through other countries outside of our borders with lower standards for evidentiary rules, take whatever evidence they're able to get using our technology, without having to report to anyone about it, bring that evidence back into our country and rely on it without any sort of testing whatsoever, she said. That's as good as having no evidence at all. And it is demonstrably unfair for there's no way to reply to that. That's teetering very close to being an authoritarian regime. The virtual hearing begins on Monday at the Immigration Appeal Division in Toronto. The first witness is expected to be an investigator of the Carabinieri unit that made the original request for surveillance of Muià in Canada. Evan Dyer (new window) · CBC · Senior Reporter Evan Dyer has been a journalist with CBC for 25 years, after an early career as a freelancer in Argentina. He works in the Parliamentary Bureau and can be reached at
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What we know about unusual spike in asylum claims at this Quebec border crossing
In less than two weeks this month, a Quebec border crossing saw more than 1,500 asylum applicants coming from the United States, an unusual surge considering overall asylum claims are down by 50 per cent across Canada. St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, a crossing located on Quebec's Highway 15, south of Montreal, saw 1,505 asylum applicants between Canada Day and July 13. In June, 1,593 applied for asylum in Canada over the course of the whole month. It represents a significant increase over 2024, when in the first two weeks of July, just 322 people tried to claim asylum in Canada. Many of the claimants are Haitians, fleeing insecurity at home and precarious legality in the United States, and seeking asylum in a French-speaking territory. It's not the first time that the Quebec border crossing has seen a major spike in claimants. In April, 2,733 people applied for asylum in Canada at that border crossing. It's an official border crossing that is near the infamous Roxham Road border crossing that is an irregular point of entry to Canada. Here's what to know about the border crossing and why there has been a surge in asylum seekers. How many people have applied for asylum in Canada overall? Between January and July 2025, there have been 19,730 asylum applications processed in Canada from people arriving at all ports of entry. This is a significant drop since 2024. By this time last year, the Canada Border Services Agency had processed 39,085 asylum applications. How many have been sent back to the United States? Of that total, 2,169 have been returned to the United States for being ineligible to enter Canada; 1,531 of those were people who made their asylum claims at official ports of entry, while the other 638 were irregular border crossers. Both Canada and the United States are signatories to the Safe Third Country Agreement. It means, basically, that a refugee claimant must make a refugee claim in the first country they arrive in, and if they show up at the Canadian border after entering the U.S., unless they meet an exception to the rules, they can be sent back to America. What are the exceptions? There are four exceptions, said Pia Zambelli, chairperson of the refugee committee at the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association. The first is family ties to Canada. 'This is the main exception,' said Zambelli. The second is an exception for unaccompanied minors. The other two are exceptions for those with certain documentation, such as a valid study permit in Canada. The last one is a public interest exception, for those who may, for example, face the death penalty if returned to the United States. What nationalities are arriving? Haitians are the nationality making the most asylum claims in Canada at land border crossings. Many of them are crossing at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing, Zambelli said, because of its proximity to Montreal, a French-speaking city. 'There's a huge Haitian community in Montreal,' Zambelli said. Venezuelans make up the second-largest proportion of those seeking asylum in Canada at land border crossings. Americans made up the third-largest proportion of those seeking asylum at land-border crossings. Why are Haitians coming to Canada? The government has more or less collapsed in Haiti and there is rampant gang violence in the failed state. This means that thousands of people are fleeing, if they can. Many ended up in the United States but have faced persecution under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Under former president Joe Biden, the U.S. government granted temporary legal status in the country to some 500,000 Haitians, the Montreal Gazette reported. Many of those people had been in the country since 2010, when Haiti was devastated by an earthquake. However, in June the Trump administration moved to revoke that protection, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people could be at risk of being sent back to a failed state. The Department of Homeland Security announced it was terminating the temporary protected status for Haitians as of Sept. 2. However, a federal judge ruled this month that the Trump administration could not move up the expiration of their status, which was extended to Feb. 3, 2026 under former president Joe Biden. Cheaper generic Ozempic is coming to Canada after Novo Nordisk fails to pay patent fee Canada to target steel originating from China with new tariffs Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
