B.C. man among trio charged after $7M in drugs found on U.S. beach
Two Americans and one British Columbian are facing possible life sentences in U.S. prison after beachcombers discovered more than 180 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl stuffed into duffel bags on the Washington state shoreline.
Federal prosecutors say the drugs were bound for Canada in a failed smuggling attempt.
Kevin Christopher Gartry, 45, is the lone Canadian charged among the trio, which includes Erika A. Bocelle, 32, of Rhode Island and John Michael Sherwood, 65, of Idaho.
The accused were indicted in a Seattle courtroom Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
All three defendants are already in U.S. custody on unrelated charges.
Due to the large quantity of drugs involved in the case, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the western district of Washington.
Beachcombers near Port Angeles, Wash., discovered a single black duffel bag containing what appeared to be drugs on April 7, 2021.
They reported the find to the local sheriff's office, which determined the bag contained approximately 27 kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of fentanyl powder, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Four days later, another beach walker in the same area – approximately 20 kilometres across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the southern tip of Vancouver Island – found seven more duffel bags on the shoreline. Investigators determined the bags contained 155 kilograms of meth.
The Clallam County Sheriff's Office in Port Angeles estimated the total value of the drugs at US$7 million.
The grand jury indictment was delivered after an extensive investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the RCMP, according to the U.S. attorney's office
The charges have not been tested or proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.