Sri Lankan drug courier, Uber driver held at US border crossing
November 12, 2016 01:49 am
A suspected drug courier and his Uber driver, residents of Quebec, wound up in the hands of U.S. authorities when their GPS led them to the International Bridge Plaza.
They were headed from Montreal to Edmonton, Alberta, but inadvertently swung by the U.S. port of entry.
Neither had the required immigration documents to legally enter the U.S.
Federal investigators recovered 2,024 grams of methamphetamine and 914 grams of Ecstasy pills contained in plastic bags in a Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes box.
Mayooran Rajasingam was named in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court alleging he conspired with others to distribute a controlled substance. Todd Wilton, a special agent for Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, filed the complaint.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Greeley ordered Rajasingam held pending a Nov. 17 detention hearing.
Wilton said in the complaint that Rajasingam, from Sri Lanka but a Canadian citizen, and his Syria-born Uber driver, tried to enter the U.S. on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Both showed Quebec driver’s licenses.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, noting that neither had documents to legally enter the U.S., referred the vehicle and occupants for a secondary inspection.
The driver had a small amount of marijuana in his pocket.
Investigators found a Saigon Tourist travel bag near the hatch back of the rented 2017 Hyundai Tucson. The bag held the cereal box containing what turned out to be illegal drugs, the government said.
The Uber driver told investigators he was to be paid $600 to drive to Edmonton, and was unaware that drugs were in the vehicle.
Rajasingam told police he thought he was delivering cash. He said he was to receive $1,000.
“Rajasingham said that he and the driver utilized a GPS navigational device for directions, and that the GPS led them to the International Bridge Port of Entry in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan,” Wilton wrote in the complaint.
“Rajasingham stated that they had no intent to enter the United States.”
Source: mlive
-Agencies
