Customs and Border Protection officers found 1,517 kilos of cannabis hidden between pallets of peat moss on a truck entering from Canada at Buffalo’s Peace Bridge on 13 June 2020.[1][2] A secondary inspection uncovered 58 cardboard boxes of vacuum-sealed packages holding more than 3,300 pounds of marijuana worth about $5 million.[1][2] The CBP field director in Buffalo called it a record-breaking bust at a press conference.[1]
The alleged driver, 30-year-old Indian citizen Gurpreet Singh, was arrested and charged with unlawfully importing and possessing 1,000 kilos or more of marijuana with intent to distribute, which carries ten years to life.[1][2] He drove for Canadian carrier Trans King, told the officer he was hauling peat moss to Virginia, and after his arrest asked officers whether they had found drugs in the trailer.[3] His family, unable to reach him, learned of the arrest the next day after his ex-wife reported him missing in Canada.[3]
Singh stayed in US federal custody for months while his lawyers, including prominent Buffalo attorney Paul Cambria, fought for bail backed by $100,000 raised by family and friends.[3][4] Prosecutors called him a knowing participant and a flight risk with ties to India, and after one release order was reversed, a federal judge denied his second bid to return to Canada on bail on 7 October as the case moved forward.[3][4]
