$7.5 million drug smuggling: Indian-origin truck driver sentenced to 15 years in prison

 

 

A court has sentenced Indian-origin truck driver Charanpreet Singh from Brampton to 15 years in prison for smuggling drugs worth $7.5 million via Canada’s Blue Water Bridge. However, the accused, who was released on bail, fled Canada days before his court appearance.

Charanpreet Singh was arrested on April 8, 2022, for trying to smuggle 55 kilograms of cocaine and 5 kilograms of heroin hidden in his truck. He was released on bail on a $55,000 bond two weeks after his arrest. The condition was that he would be placed under strict house arrest at his sister’s house. In addition, officers confiscated his passport and made him wear a GPS-equipped anklet on his leg for monitoring.

The court was scheduled to pronounce its sentence on June 24. But four days before that, the suspect had cut off the GPS device on his leg and escaped. Peel Regional Police have issued a lookout notice for the suspect. It is currently unclear how he left the country without a passport.
Although the suspect did not appear in court, the court went ahead with the sentencing proceedings and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The court has decided to forfeit the entire amount deposited by his sister, who had posted bail. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Canada has intensified its investigation into the suspect.