The Osoyoos RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency seized 31 kilograms of cocaine (pictured) from a vehicle attempting to cross into Canada on May 5. Two B.C. residents are charged with importation of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Photo courtesy of the RCMP
OSOYOOS TIMES-June 3, 2009-
By Paul Everest – Osoyoos Times
Police announced on May 28 that 31 kilograms of cocaine were seized at the Osoyoos border crossing on the evening of May 5.
Members of the Osoyoos RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency officers made the seizure after searching a 2005 Dodge Caravan from Canada that was attempting to re-enter British Columbia.
The cocaine, which has a street value of more than $1.5 million, was found in individually wrapped packages hidden in floor storage compartments in the van, police said.
Two B.C. residents, 31-year-old Debra L. Lynch of Surrey and 23-year-old Lee Louie Myers of Hanceville, are charged with importation of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
They were charged the day after the seizure and have remained in police custody.
They will next appear in Penticton provincial court on June 8.
Cpl. Dan Moskaluk, spokesman for the RCMP’s southeast and north divisions, could not provide a definitive answer as to why the seizure and subsequent arrests were reported to the media nearly one month after the incident took place.
“We’re a little late on this one,” he said on May 29.
He added that investigations often dictate when such information is released to the public and some seizures are never made public.
Moskaluk said he could not comment on where in the U.S. the vehicle was coming from when it attempted to re-enter Canada.
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