Navjot Singh and Gurjeet Ghotra are each charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Police say additional charges are pending and they are still looking at another person of interest, adding they have spoken with the individual.
CALGARY – Indo-Canadian trucker from Calgary was recently busted with roughly $8 million in cocaine and methamphetamine after a three-month drug trafficking investigation — a bust Calgary police are calling one of the largest in the city’s history.
The 66 kilograms of cocaine and 30 kilograms of meth were found when officers with the Calgary Police Service criminal network section conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Caravan on Oct. 4 around 3 a.m., reported Calgary Sun Newspaper.
Navjot Singh, 23, and Gurjeet Ghotra, 20, are each charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Police say additional charges are pending and they are still looking at another person of interest, adding they have spoken with the individual.
“These two individuals were not known to the police, so certainly we have to believe with these types of drugs and this amount of drugs, they are somehow related to organized crime,” Cain said, adding Singh and Ghotra were not co-operative with police.
“They were stopped within the city limits. Were these drugs all destined for the city? We don’t know that, either.”
When asked about a potential international element to the case, Cain said the service is currently working with the Canada Border Services Agency and “there are leads to follow.”
“We gather a lot of information and this information was followed up. Three months really isn’t all that long to spend on an investigation, so it was certainly a substantial seizure in a short amount of time,” Cain said.
Along with the drugs, officers seized roughly $41,000 in cash.
“To my knowledge, this is one of the largest drug seizures in CPS history and certainly a substantial drug seizure for the province of Alberta,” said Insp. Keith Cain with the criminal network section, formerly called the organized crime unit.
“I think it’s very significant — this was surprising, shocking to us to get this amount and get two different types of drugs in the same vehicle. It’s been a three-month investigation, there was information gathered that led us to the vehicle and, subsequently, the seizure.”
Police also executed search warrants at a residence, business and another vehicle. Officers seized a Taser at the residence.
Provincial court Judge Mike Dinkel ordered the two men to post $10,000 cash each and have a surety provide an additional $25,000 in property.
Both men are subject to a nightly curfew and other conditions, including a weapons prohibition. They must also surrender any passports they have.
The men were due back in court Nov. 2.
The police investigation is ongoing and Cain said they have further leads to follow up on.
