A Vancouver International Airport employee and another man have been charged after police found 35 kilograms of heroin secreted away in shipped goods.
The charges followed an 18-month investigation into the movement of drugs from South Asia into Canada via YVR, RCMP Asst. Commander Wayne Rideout said.
“We know that organized crime groups have vast resources and they work to penetrate legitimate systems to transport illegal commodities,” Rideout said.
Airport worker Randy Norman Per, 42, and Tenny Guon Lim, 34, were arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Per has since been released while Lim remains in custody.
“We allege these individuals worked to actively circumvent the security measures at the airport,” Rideout said.
The CBSA said officers first suspected an airport warehouse employee of using his access to smuggle drugs, and partnered with the RCMP and Vancouver Police Department to investigate.
CBSA Enforcement and Intelligence Division Director Yvette-Monique Gray described the resulting heroin seizure as a major break for law enforcement.
“This is a significant seizure not only because it is one of the largest heroin seizures by the CBSA, but also because it is an organized internal conspiracy that has been disrupted,” said Gray.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Per and Lim are scheduled to appear in court next on July 8 in Richmond.
