$180K in drugs found in baggage of traveller at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga

The RCMP says marijuana smuggling at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga and other Canadian airports continues to be an issue and the consequences for those who are caught are severe.

In one of the latest seizures at Pearson, the RCMP said a Canadian traveller headed for the Netherlands on Oct. 26 was found to have about 45 kilograms of cannabis concealed inside their bag. The drugs are estimated to be worth about $180,000, federal officers said in a news release on Monday.

Canada Border Services Agency officers made the discovery, seized the drugs and arrested the traveller before turning them over to RCMP officers at the Pearson Airport detachment.

The 20-year-old Canadian has been charged with possession for the purpose of export. They were released on an undertaking pending a court appearance that was scheduled for last week.

“The discovery of travellers arriving at Canadian international airports attempting to hide cannabis continues to be an issue with serious and possibly lifelong consequences for these travellers,” Insp. John McMath, officer in charge of the RCMP’s Toronto Airport Detachment, said in the release. “It is illegal to carry any amount of cannabis on your person or in your luggage. A decision to carry cannabis can have a very negative impact on a person’s life.”

CBSA officials added that while cannabis is legal in Canada, “transporting it across the border remains a serious criminal offence.”

The RCMP and the border services agency work closely together, and in cooperation with other Canadian and international law enforcement agencies, “to combat the impact that cross-border criminal activity is having on our communities,” officials noted.