BIG BORDER DRUG BUST

Surrey man Gurjant Singh Sandhu has been charged in connection with
what border guards are calling the largest cocaine seizure ever at a
land crossing in Western Canada.

The bust took place at the Pacific Highway truck crossing last
Thursday, after officers stopped a teal-coloured truck cab that had
the words "Risky Business" emblazoned on its sides.

A "detector dog" named Speed sniffed out the drugs and customs
officers found a hockey bag containing 45 bricks of cocaine under the
mattress in the sleeper compartment.

They also found a backpack stuffed with $65,000 US inside a
compartment in the cab.

All told, 49.5 kilograms of cocaine worth $9.8 million was seized.
Sandhu has been charged with importing a narcotic and possession for
the purpose of trafficking.

"This is the largest seizure of cocaine ever at a land border crossing
in Western Canada," said Jan Brock, chief of commercial operations on
the Canadian side of the Pacific Highway truck crossing.

"This seizure means over one-quarter million doses of cocaine will not
reach our streets."

Brock and other officers would not reveal if they were tipped off or
what arose officers' suspicions about the truck.

The truck seized has B.C. and Oregon plates.

Mike Hepner, Speed's trainer, said that as a family man he was happy
to see the cocaine off the streets.

"I was extremely happy because this was a very big find," he
said.

Speed, a black Lab, got special treats for sniffing out the
drugs.

"He got his ball all day."