Seizure of over $36 million of hashish at the Port of Montréal

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that its officers working at the Port of Montréal seized more than 1,700 kg of hashish with an estimated street value of over $36 million Canadian.

Border services officers at the CBSA Container Examination Facility discovered the narcotics on January 27, 2010, when searching a shipping container from South Africa. The drugs, portioned into 864 packets, were concealed in false-bottom wooden crates containing statues and masks.

The goods had been flagged by CBSA officers for a routine inspection. An in-depth physical examination of the container confirmed the presence of hashish in 18 of the 19 inspected crates.

The container in question had been examined by CBSA officers in July 2009 and returned to its country of origin because the wood packaging did not meet Canada's plant health requirements.

The CBSA handed the drugs over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

In 2009, the CBSA carried out over 12,000 narcotics seizures nationwide with a total estimated street value of roughly $2.2 billion.

Photos available upon request

For further information: Media information: Canada Border Services Agency, Quebec Region, [phone]