Yet another sizeable drug bust occurred on the 49th Parallel, Thursday November 15, and it underscores the fact that B.C. drug smugglers are continuing to find innovative ways to breach the security systems of the Canada- U.S. border. The Bellingham Herald reported the arrest with a brief newser "Ecstasy found in gas tank": "BLAINE — A Delta, B.C., man was arrested Thursday [Nov 15] at the Peace Arch crossing after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers said they found more than 93,000 ecstasy tablets — about 53 pounds — hidden in the gas tank of the truck he was driving. The border agency identified the suspect as Tavinder Singh Randhawa, 28, a student at Bellingham Technical College. Randhawa had used a NEXUS frequent traveler card for daily trips across the border, the border agency reported in a press release. According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, an X-ray inspection of his 1991 Ford pickup truck detected the hidden gas tank compartment and led to his arrest on suspicion of possession with intent to distribute the drug, plus a conspiracy charge. Randhawa appeared Thursday before a U.S. magistrate in Seattle and was kept in custody pending a hearing on his suitability for pretrial release. "
In keeping with the media imposed blackout on showing the faces of British Columbia drug smugglers, no news outlet even bothered to secure Randwana's arrest photo. He will remain an anonymous shape shifter, along with the legion of his clever and prosperous friends who live happily among us.
Bellingham Technical College is now shy one Canadian "student". Delta, B.C. resident Tavinder Singh Randhawa has been arrested and charged.
Another recent case, which I had missed but tripped over when reading about Mr. Randhawa, is that of a female drug smuggler Robbyn Dee Blankinship. A few details of her story are found in the Blaine, Washington newspaper, The Northern Light, on September 6:
"Border agencies seize cocaine at Blaine crossing -
A Canadian woman will face federal drug smuggling charges after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) outbound inspection found a million dollars worth of cocaine in her car. “We nailed ‘em,” said CBP public information officer Mike Milne.
Robbyn Dee Blankinship, 29, is a Canadian citizen living in Vancouver who was returning to Canada on Labor Day when CBP officers searched her Ford Explorer and found 77 pounds of cocaine packed in and around the vehicle’s spare tire. She was arrested at the port and had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on September 4th. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is continuing to investigate the case.
“This case illustrates the bi-directional nature of smuggling along the U.S.-Canadian border here in the Pacific Northwest,” said acting port director Jay Brandt.
Milne explained that CBP officers intercept smugglers with bulk currency, marijuana and ecstasy as they enter the U.S. while Canadian inspectors pick up smugglers with “cash, cocaine and guns."
This is a photo (from a U.S. Gov website) of Ms. Blankinship's 77 pounds of smack, worth a million dollars on the streets of B.C. This is the shit which "lifestyle" conscious B.C.'ers just can't get enough of... the toot which gets dozens of people shot in the head each year. Oh, and by the way, we're not allowed to see what Blankinship looks like. It's a secret. Shhhhh!
robbyn is innocent
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