Surrey man smuggled 13 kilos of heroin at Douglas crossing

Surrey, BC – A man arrested at Douglas border crossing last year has now been charged with importing 13 kilos of heroin into Canada.

Gurpreet Sing Mand, 39, of Surrey, is accused of carrying the narcotics in 13 vacuum sealed pouches concealed inside a suitcase.

“On August 18, 2017, at approximately 1:00 AM, Gurpreet Singh Mand was returning to Canada from the United States through the Douglas Port of Entry.

“At the Primary Inspection booth, a verification of Mand’s declaration was performed by CBSA Border Services Officers (BSOs) which resulted in the discovery of a suitcase containing 13 vacuum sealed packages, of what the officers believed to be a controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.”

“During the RCMP-BET investigation, the packages were found to contain high quality heroin with a combined weight of approximately 13 kilograms. This significant amount of heroin would supply 130,000 doses at the street level,” RCMP said.

Sgt. Eric Boechler said “This large seizure of heroin would have been destined for the domestic opioid market. There is a high likelihood it would have been further mixed with fentanyl or other potent synthetic opioids. This seizure will keep these dangerous drugs off the streets of British Columbia.”