A truck driver is facing federal drug trafficking charges after border security foiled an attempt to transport more than 240 pounds of cocaine into Canada.
Muhammad Shaikh, a Canadian citizen, was charged on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Detroit.
Shaikh was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine following an investigation and vehicle inspection at the Ambassador Bridge, according to court records.
“The volume of controlled substances and the manner in which they were transported from the United States to Canada is indicative of a larger drug trafficking effort,” an affidavit from one of the investigating officers stated.
The attempted delivery was discovered around 6 p.m. Tuesday, while the Detroit Contraband Enforcement Team was conducting outbound enforcement on the Ambassador Bridge.
The officers spoke with a truck driver as he approached the border. The tractor and trailer of the vehicle had Ontario plates, and the driver stated that he was delivering vehicle parts from Indiana.
Officers directed the driver to a secondary location. He was instructed to put the vehicle in park and exit the cab for an inspection.
Officers discovered five duffel bags under the tractor’s bunk, each containing several vacuum-sealed plastic packages. A K-9 team also investigated the vehicle and found narcotics. The court report stated that all parcels tested positive for cocaine following field testing.
According to the affidavit, the driver informed officers that he was in Indiana to load his truck with automobile parts. While there, he was approached by a man who asked if he could deliver additional packages to Canada in exchange for payment. He also received a cell phone at the time.
During the border crossing investigation, CPB officers detected an incoming call on a cell phone using the What’s App app, and the phone’s data was remotely erased.
