$21.3M DRUG BUST WINDSOR'S LARGEST

Customs officials are calling a drug grab at the Ambassador Bridge the
biggest cocaine seizure in the history of the Windsor border.

According to the Canada Border Services Agency, officers found 171
kilograms of suspected cocaine inside a tractor-trailer trying to
enter the country.

CBSA spokeswoman Andrea Kent said on Wednesday that the drugs have an
estimated street value of $21.3 million.

"This represents the largest cocaine seizure to have occurred in
Windsor. As well, this is one of the largest cocaine seizures to have
occurred at a land border crossing in Ontario," Kent said.

"Certainly, this is a very, very significant seizure. The interception
of this amount of cocaine is always important."

CARRYING PRODUCE

The drugs were discovered just before 7 a.m. Monday in a routine
examination of a truck carrying mixed produce that originated in California.

Kent said the contraband was arranged in 109 bricks contained in seven
duffle bags and a suitcase."They were within the load itself, in the
trailer."

CBSA took custody of the narcotics and the vehicle's two male
occupants, then sent the tractor-trailer to an off-site facility where
it was unloaded, sniffed by detector dogs, and subjected to the
agency's mobile X-ray system. No other contraband was found.

Kent said both of the men who were in the truck cab are Canadian
nationals and Ontario residents.

They face charges of importation of a controlled substance and
possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

MEN IN CUSTODY

Kent said the men remain in custody. "Generally speaking, charges of
this nature are laid by the RCMP, in co-operation with the CBSA."

The CBSA has not released where the truck was headed, and Kent said
the investigation is still ongoing.

As well as being unprecedented for the Windsor border, the cocaine
seizure ranks among the most significant the country has seen, Kent
said.

"There are other cocaine seizures that have occurred at land border
crossings elsewhere. There have been significant seizures in both
Quebec and Vancouver. But this quantity does also rank significantly
across Canada."

Kent said the incident illustrates that Canada's borders are safe and
being protected.

"We're always on the lookout. Our officers are always looking for
shipments, individuals and goods that do not belong in Canada and
could pose a threat to our security and safety."