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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 9, 2007 - 5 Police seize $8 million worth of cocaine By Stephanie Thiessen SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER An alert citizen and a transportation officer in the right place at the right time resulted in Halton's largest ever cocaine seizure Sunday morning. Sitting side by side with a load of carrots, 205 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of at least $8 million was seized by Halton Regional Police from a tractor-trailer at James Snow Parkway and Hwy. 401. "This is one of the largest seizures by a municipal police service in the country," said public affairs officer Sgt. Peter Payne Wednesday morning at a press conference at the police's Oakville headquarters. Lined up behind the podium were the 205 one-kilogram bricks of cocaine that were seized, wrapped as they were found in plastic bags. Heavily armed tactical officers stood guard. A Brampton man has been charged, and police hope further arrests will follow. It was a serendipitous sequence of events that led to the discovery, but many questions remain unanswered due to details police can't or won't release. Just before 9:30 a.m. at Steeles Avenue and James Snow Parkway, a GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER MAJOR BUST: Halton Regional Police Detective Inspector Chris Perkins holds two of the one-kilo sized cocaine bricks seized by police from a tractor-trailer on Sunday. More than 200 kilos of the drug with an estimated street value of $8 million were involved in the bust. A heavily armed tactical officer stands guard in the background. citizen for some reason became suspicious about a produce truck, said Det. Insp. Chris Perkins of the morality bureau. A conversation ensued, and the trucker drove off, heading along James Snow Parkway to Hwy. 401. The citizen followed in his vehicle and the truck driver pulled over near the on-ramp to the westbound 401, got out and again the pair talked. Perkins wouldn't say what made the citizen suspicious initially, nor what he -- or she, police won't confirm the person's gender -- did to cause the truck driver to pull over about a half-kilometre from where they had their first conversation. Ministry of Transportation officer Jason Leeman, who works out of Halton and patrols the area, noticed the pair at the side of the road and decided to check on the situation. "Something wasn't right," he told reporters. He called police who soon responded and a search warrant was executed. "I was totally shocked at what I observed when the trailer opened up," Leeman said. The truck driver was then arrested. Police are commending the MTO officer for his perception. It's a sophisticated network that's behind this criminal operation, police said. Had the cocaine been at a stage where it was ready to be sold at a street level, it could have gone for as much as $20 million, Payne said. "Someone somewhere is upset because they've lost a significant amount of money," he said. The truck was coming from the United States, but it's not known if the drug shipment -- possibly from South America -- was loaded before or after it entered Ontario earlier that day, Perkins said. It's also not known where the truck, which was registered to an Ontario company, was headed, he said. Police now have a lot of work ahead of them. "This is a mammoth police investigation," Perkins said. Brampton resident Avtar Sandhu, 39, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. -- Stephanie Thiessen can be reached at sthiessen@miltoncanadianchampion.com. In-utero heart treatments. Saving babies lives, before they're even born. ROYAL CANADIAN SEA CADET CORPS 178 OAKVILLE FOR ALL BOYS AND GIRLS AGES 12 - 18 Do you want: · to enhance your leadership potential/skills? · to go to summer camp for 2, 3 or 6 weeks? · to learn or enhance your swimming abilities? · to learn how to sail? · to fulfill the community service requirements of High School while having fun? If you want to do these things and more, come out and see us on Wednesday nights, 6:30PM 785 Pacific Road, Unit 13/14 CEP Union Hall Oakville, ON THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT YOUR HEART INTO IT.TM www.heartandstroke.ca NO PAYMENT, NO INTEREST FOR ONE FULL YEAR or PAY NO TAX O.A.C. For more information: CALL: 905-464-0674 DROP BY: 785 Pacific Road, Unit 13/14 CEP Union Hall Oakville, ON EMAIL: 178sea@cadets.net VISIT US ON THE WEB AT: www.central.cadets.forces.gc.ca/public/ LHQ-QGL/178sea/index_e.html G61V Furnace NO COST, NO PRESSUR E, JUST COME A ND SEE WHAT'S IN STORE FOR YO U IF YOU DECIDE TO JOIN UP. · Call For FREE In-Home Estimate H.V.A.C. SYSTEMS HEATING · AIR CONDITIONING · FIREPLACES 905-845-4009 www.atlantisair.com www.oakvillebeaver.com