American couple busted with 83 Kg of cocaine, BC

Officers with the Canada Border Services Agency know their vehicles- and they know to call in RCMP Federal Drug Enforcement when 83 kilograms of cocaine are stashed in “Stow ‘n Go” seating.

A Washington State couple is facing severe criminal consequences after failing to fool law enforcement at the Carson Port of Entry into Grand Forks, BC.

It was just before 10:00am on December 16, 2010, that 49-year-old Scott Fleming Powers and 55-year-old Diane Marie Green Powers arrived to cross into Canada. CBSA officers who spoke to the couple did not believe they were telling the truth about their journey. A secondary search by the alert CBSA officers turned up small amounts of marihuana and two hidden compartments containing 83 one-kilogram packages of suspected cocaine.

Thanks to the good work of the CBSA, the Grand Forks RCMP and the Southeast District Federal Drug Section were called in to lead the criminal investigation. A comprehensive search of the minivan, a 2007 Dodge Caravan, revealed that two sophisticated, electronically-operated compartments had been placed in an area that used to contain “Stow ‘n Go” seats. The one-kilogram packages are consistent with drug trafficking, and the total dollar value of the drugs is about $3,500,000 Canadian. That’s about 83,000 doses of cocaine that will never contribute to the physical and emotional toll of addiction, and will take profit out of the hands of drug dealers.

The Federal Drug Enforcement Branch is actively investigating all specific ties to organized criminal groups. As with all border seizures, the RCMP is also working with international partners like the US Drug Enforcement Agency. When this amount of drugs is seized by law enforcement, it’s reasonable to believe that it is not just destined for one location. Large amounts of controlled substances like cocaine can touch every community, big or small.

Upon their arrest, both Diane and Scott Powers were taken to court on December 17, 2010, and are detained until trial. Their next court appearance is on January 13, 2011. They each face one count of Importation of a Controlled Substance, Section 6(1) CDSA, and Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking s. 5(2) CDSA.