HSI investigates Canadian truck driver who trafficked 211 pounds of cocaine in trailer load of bananas

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A Canadian truck driver admitted to a drug trafficking crime June 10 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents found 211 pounds of cocaine in a trailer load of load of bananas during an inspection as the driver was attempting to enter Canada.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and CBP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Betley is prosecuting the case.

Gurpal Singh Gill, 39, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine as charged in a superseding information. Gill faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.

In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that on Jan. 30, CBP officers at the Sweetgrass Port of Entry, in Toole County, were targeting commercial drivers destined for Canada from the United States.

At about 8 p.m., officers observed a freightliner semi-truck with Alberta license plates traveling north on Interstate 15 at the Sweetgrass Port of Entry. Officers identified Gill as the driver and sole occupant of the semi-truck. Upon initial inspection, officers learned Gill was transporting a load of fresh bananas from California to Calgary. However, a missing rear seal on the truck’s trailer led to a secondary inspection. Officers observed seven unmarked boxes sitting on top of bananas in the back of the trailer. The unmarked boxes were a different color and size from the boxes of bananas. Officers opened the boxes and found a white powdery substance that appeared to be cocaine. An analysis by the Drug Enforcement Administration determined the packages contained about 211 pounds of cocaine.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents Department of Homeland Security's largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

To report a crime, call 866-347-2423 (TTY for hearing impaired: 802-872-6196) or visit the ICE Tip Line.