More than 200 kilograms of cannabis seized in targeted investigation in Ontario border town

| Morton Robertson

An investigation targeting the Canadian border town of Cornwall resulted in the seizure of over 200 kilograms and three arrests in early July.

The initiative, led by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), RCMP, and the Ontario Ministry of Finance, targets the Cornwall area to locate smugglers. 

After a brief investigation, law enforcement pulled two different vehicles over, which were then searched by police under the authority of the Excise Act 2001 and the Cannabis Act.

On July 8, 2024, An Sen Lin, Wenrui Lin, and Jason Anderson were arrested and charged with a variety of contraventions of those Acts. They have been charged with Possession of Property obtained by Crime, Possession of unstamped cannabis, Conspiracy to Sell, and Possession of Cannabis for the purpose of selling and exporting.

All three are scheduled to appear in court on August 13th, 2024 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall, Ontario.

Cornwall is located just minutes from the US border, north of the Akwesasne reserve in New York State, across the St Lawrence River.  

RCMP estimates the value of the cannabis was approximately $897,000. They also seized several cell phones and US cash. 

“Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers are committed to disrupting organized crime. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners on both sides of the border to keep our communities safe,” said Jag Johnston, Regional Director General, Northern Ontario Region, CBSA, in a press release. 

Seizures of cannabis leaving Canada are not uncommon. The CBSA recently seized 140 pounds of cannabis at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, destined for the UK.

The CBSA reports seizing more than 23,553,038 grams of cannabis products in fiscal year 2023-2024 and 126,210 grams of hash. 

The amount of such seizures has increased significantly in the past six years. 



Like the work we do at StratCann, and want to support independent media?