B.C. police make massive cocaine bust
Adrian Nieoczym
Kelowna— Globe and Mail Update
Published
Two men are under arrest and police are hunting for two more in connection with a massive cocaine seizure in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Officers with the RCMP and the Canadian Border Services Agency displayed a 2,300-kilogram fruit-grinding machine at the Kelowna International Airport Tuesday morning. They say the machine was used to smuggle 97.5-kilograms of cocaine into Canada, with a street value of between $3.5 and $3.9-million.
Officials say the machine was flown from Argentina into Miami and then trucked to Vancouver. CBSA officers inspected the machine when its excessive weight and point of origin raised their suspicions.
After discovering the cocaine on Sept. 22, they allowed the machine to be trucked to its destination in Kelowna, while keeping it under surveillance.
Two West Kelowna residents, 33-year-old Clifford Roger Montgomery and 50-year-old Barry Michael Ready, were arrested on October 4. Arrest warrants have been issued for 43-year-old Victor Perez Rodriguez, a Mexican citizen, and 32-year-old Tariq Mohammed Aslam of Surrey.
All four men are facing two counts of conspiracy to import cocaine and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Officials say all three Canadian suspects are known to police.
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