Surveillance of an alleged drug trafficking ring in Yuba City uncovered 136 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $1 million and led to criminal charges against six people on Tuesday, which included lone Canadian Kamaljit Billen, who is from Surrey and is known in local Kabaddi circles, reported the Appeal Democrat newspaper. Billen arrived in the area the same day of his arrest, according to his attorney, Michael Barrette, who said Billen was just a passenger with no knowledge of what was in the bags, adding he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Judge has put the bail for Billen and others at $1 million.
YUBA CITY – An Indo-Canadian man is among six arrested in a big US drug bust earlier in December.
Surveillance of an alleged drug trafficking ring in Yuba City uncovered 136 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $1 million and led to criminal charges against six people on Tuesday, which included lone Canadian Kamaljit Billen, who is from Surrey and is known in local Kabaddi circles, reported the Appeal Democrat newspaper.
Billen, 36 and another Punjabi man from the US, Yuba City resident Gurdeep Singh, 36, were arrested along with Justin Byun, 19, Julius Caubat, 24, Chungil Jun, 20, and Sonia Kim, 22, and charged in Sutter County Superior Court with the felony transport of cocaine and possession for sale.
The Sutter County District Attorney’s Office also seeks a sentence enhancement for each count, alleging the amount of cocaine exceeds 88 pounds. The maximum sentence for each defendant, if convicted, is 25 years in county jail.
The defendants, many of whom are from Washington state, are each being held in Sutter County Jail on $1 million bail.
Court documents described Billen as a resident of British Columbia. Billen arrived in the area the same day of his arrest, according to his attorney, Michael Barrette.
Barrette said Billen was just a passenger with no knowledge of what was in the bags, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The arrests were made after Sacramento County sheriff’s narcotics detectives saw two of the alleged co-conspirators transfer several large duffle bags between cars in Yuba City on Sunday, according to a declaration seeking bail enhancement.
A vehicle stop was conducted and detectives found 62 kilos of cocaine, with a street value in excess of $1 million.
Four of the defendants were arrested at about 3 p.m. Sunday at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Sunsweet Boulevard. The others were arrested during a traffic stop at Bogue Road and Highway 99, according to booking sheets.
All six defendants appeared in Sutter County Superior Court for the second time on Monday, and all pleaded not guilty in front of Judge Brian Aronson to charges of possession and transportation of cocaine.
Kim’s bail was reduced to $500,000. Bail remained at $1 million for each of the other defendants.
They were all arrested in Yuba City at 3 p.m. Dec. 21, when 136 pounds of suspected cocaine was found in duffle bags in a car driven by Singh.
Some additional details about the surveillance into the alleged drug trafficking ring were made available by statements made in court.
The suspicious vehicle at the airport on Dec. 10 was found to be rented in Kim’s name, according to Sutter County Deputy District Attorney Anu Chopra. Detectives with a Sacramento area, multi-agency, high intensity task force began tracking the car.
The vehicle allegedly traveled to Southern California and back north to Yuba City, where, in the parking lot of a hotel in the 1300 block of Sunsweet Boulevard, some of the suspects were seen moving duffle bags into a vehicle driven by Singh.
Singh and a passenger in his vehicle, Billen, were arrested after authorities made a traffic stop at Highway 99 and Bogue Road. The remaining defendants were arrested near the hotel.
Byun, Caubat, Jun and Kim are all residents of Washington state.
Kim’s defense attorney, David Dratman, argued Kim wasn’t near the scene when the alleged exchange of goods occurred. Authorities had to wait for her to return from a department store before they arrested her, he said.
She told officers she suspected illegal activity was occurring, but she didn’t ask about it, according to a note on a court document.
Aronson reduced her bail amount but ordered a hearing to determine the legality of any funds used to post bail. He also ordered she turn over her passport and stay away from all other defendants if she is released from custody.
They are all due back in court Jan. 8.
