© 2024 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Your NPR Station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Customs officials announce largest marijuana seizure in Peace Bridge history

U.S. Attorney James Kennedy and the Buffalo U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office have announced the largest marijuana seizure in Peace Bridge history.
Kennedy said a citizen of India has been arrested on charges of unlawfully importing and possessing with intent to distribute 1,000 or more kilograms of marijuana. Gurpreet Singh, 30, was arrested early Saturday morning at the Peace Bridge, driving a commercial truck with Ontario license plates carrying a load of peat moss.

Upon inspection, customs officials said they found thousands of vacuum-sealed bags containing suspected marijuana, weighing over 3,300 pounds with an approximate value of $5 million dollars. Singh was cooperative with investigators and there is no proof he knew what was in the truck, defense attorney Jeremy Schwartz said.

A detention hearing for Singh is scheduled for Wednesday. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.

It was the second seizure of a multimillion-dollar marijuana shipment by customs officials in the region in two weeks. On June 5, more than $2 million worth of marijuana was seized after it came over from Canada in a truck.

The Buffalo customs office has made more than 280 drug confiscations this year, a 4000% increase over seizures at this time in 2019. Customs and Border Protection Field Office Director Rose Brophy said officers have seized more than 8,700 pounds of narcotics at the crossing since March 21.

Cross-border travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed commerce across national borders. The field office said criminals may be taking advantage of the unprecedented times to illegally transport drugs.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Mark Wozniak, WBFO's local All Things Considered host, has been at WBFO since mid-1978.
Related Content