Ontario: A Canadian court has convicted Ranjeet Singh, a 33-year-old Indian-origin Sikh truck driver, of smuggling approximately 40 kg of cocaine. The drugs were brought into Canada via the Blue Water Bridge in April 2024. The estimated value is estimated at US$4.8 million (approximately Rs. 40 crore).
Ontario Superior Court Justice Scott Pratt on Monday found Ranjeet Singh guilty of importing a controlled substance and possessing it for the purpose of trafficking. The court issued the verdict following a three-week trial in Sarnia in June. Ranjeet Singh had denied both charges.
Justice Pratt stated in his decision that he did not believe Ranjeet Singh’s testimony because there were numerous contradictions in his testimony.
Cocaine smuggled into a truck from the US
According to the prosecution, Ranjit Singh purchased cardboard boxes from a Home Depot store in Shorewood, Illinois, USA. He then packed the cocaine in the boxes and loaded them onto his trailer in a yard on Sanders Road in Lansing, Michigan.
The boxes were later hidden inside a pallet filled with other goods to prevent the drugs from being detected during an inspection.
However, Ranjit Singh denied these allegations in court. He stated that cocaine was indeed recovered from his trailer, but that no one had supplied him with the drugs, nor did he know how they arrived.
Boxes purchased on the instructions of the company owner: Accused
Ranjit Singh told the court that his company owner had instructed him to purchase cardboard boxes from Home Depot and leave them near another truck parked in a yard in Michigan.
He also claimed that he had seen an unknown person in the yard. He then left his truck unattended for 10 to 15 minutes to go to the washroom.
However, the judge accepted the prosecution’s arguments. The court stated that it was highly likely that Ranjit Singh had obtained the cocaine from another driver at the travel center.
According to the judge, the exact time the accused acquired the drugs is not important. The important thing is that he possessed the cocaine when he entered Canada and that he knew the drugs were present in the trailer.
Sentencing hearing to be held in February
Ranjit Singh was granted bail in early May 2024 on a $200,000 bond. Despite his conviction, he has been allowed to remain out on bail until sentencing. A sentencing hearing will now be held in February.