Driver charged in historic methamphetamine bust in Boissevain, Man. granted bail

The man charged in a historic drug bust at a land border crossing in Boissevain, Man. last month has been granted bail.

On January 14, the Canada Border Services Agency seized 406.2 kilograms of methamphetamine from a semi truck crossing into Canada from the U.S. The meth was valued at $50,780,000 and was the equivalent of four million hits of the illicit drug. Two hundred packages of the drugs were found hidden in suitcases on the truck.

The driver of the semi, 29-year-old Komalpreet Sidhu of Winnipeg, was arrested and charged with importing methamphetamine and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Sidhu made his first court appearance in Brandon, Man. on February 1.

The judge granted him bail under numerous conditions, including paying $20,000 for release and another $20,000 cash deposit in surety. His wife is also serving as surety and a friend of Sidhu provided $100,000 in surety.

While on bail, Sidhu is required to reside at his residence and has a curfew between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily. He must wear a GPS tracking device at all times, is barred from using or possessing any weapons, or consuming drugs or alcohol. He is also only allowed to have one cellphone with no apps other than for calling and texting and no software-wiping applications.

Sidhu appeared in court Thursday, while an interpreter translated the proceedings to him in Punjabi.

The court heard Sidhu was driving his truck from California to Winnipeg. The Crown said Sidhu told RCMP he didn’t know what was in the truck, but they later found he had sent an image of the inside of his truck to his boss, showing furniture inside the truck. That was before when the methamphetamine was loaded into the truck, the Crown alleges.

Sidhu’s interpreter said to the court, “he says he didn’t do that.”

The Crown alleged Sidhu made three suspicious stops and tampered with GPS-tracking, and also stated Sidhu stopped in a less frequented area with no gas stations nearby, where he picked up the drugs.

The court also heard Sidhu had three phones: a Canada phone, a U.S. phone, and another older phone. When RCMP officers plugged in the U.S. phone, a two-minute countdown automatically started and then the phone was wiped clean.

“A hallmark of a high-level drug trafficker,” Crown attorney Matt Sinclair told the court.

The Crown also argued over concerns about the gravity of the offence.

“Too many Manitoba communities have been poisoned by methamphetamine,” Sinclair said, also noting the dollar value of this amount of meth isn’t the real issue. The human cost is what is truly staggering. There was enough meth for each human being in Manitoba to have three doses.”

The Crown also noted Sidhu has made previous trips to California and alleged he is a well-trusted member of a drug trafficking organization.

The defence argued Sidhu was a blind courier, and was unaware of the drugs in his semi tractor-trailer unit, and that the methamphetamine was loaded into his trailer without his knowledge, so he wouldn’t act nervous or suspicious when he reached the border crossing.

The defence also said Sidhu is a permanent resident who moved to Canada from India in 2014.