From busting an immigration fraud case to seizing more than 39 grams of fentanyl headed from China to Winnipeg, here is a list of the top stories from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in 2016.
Child pornography investigation
The top story of 2016 was a record sentence following a child pornography investigation, according to the CBSA.
The case dated back to July 2015, when officers at the Sprague, Man., border crossing found prohibited images on a traveller’s electronic devices. On March 1, 2016, Robert William Roske of Minnesota pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle child pornography and was handed a two and a half year jail sentence. This was the longest in Canada resulting from a child pornography cross-border smuggling case investigated by the CBSA.
READ MORE: Minnesota man gets jail time after trying to smuggle child porn into Manitoba
Loaded handgun
Border officers made a gun seizure Dec. 10, at the Emerson, Man., border crossing.
Officers uncovered a loaded handgun in an Illinois man’s vehicle and charges were laid. The man pleaded guilty in a Winnipeg court to smuggling under the Customs Act. He was sentenced to time served (11 days) and a $9,000 court fine.
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In 2016, southern Manitoba officers seized 16 firearms – including 12 handguns – and 11 prohibited weapons that were not declared.
Illegal immigration
In September and December, the CBSA Criminal Investigations unit laid charges against alleged unauthorized consultants in separate immigration fraud cases.
The CBSA’s Inland Enforcement unit in Winnipeg removed 41 individuals who were not authorized to be in Canada due to criminal inadmissibility. These included two men removed after serving sentences for robbery at gunpoint and manslaughter.
Drug seizures
Manitoba border officers made 108 drug-related seizures in 2016. Officers also seized more than 15 litres of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) being illegally imported into Winnipeg. GBL is a controlled substance and the precursor drug used in the manufacturing of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, one of the substances used as a “date rape drug,” according to the CBSA.
In August, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged a Winnipeg man with allegedly importing fentanyl into Canada. This was the result of a joint investigation following a CBSA seizure of 39 grams of fentanyl at the Vancouver International Mail Centre. The fentanyl was in a parcel originating from China and destined to a Winnipeg address.
Cruise ship search
On Aug. 26, CBSA officers from Winnipeg welcomed more than 1,000 passengers and 600 crew members of a cruise ship in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., as the ship made its historic voyage through the Northwest Passage from Alaska.
This was the first time the CBSA processed travellers aboard a large cruise ship in northern Canada. Officers boarded the ship by inflatable boats to identify travellers and determine their admissibility to Canada.
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