Drug smuggler who tried to bring $3.5M worth of cocaine into Canada handed 9-year prison sentence

A photo of drugs seized by CBSA officials. (CBSA handout)

A drug smuggler was sentenced to nine years in prison for trying to bring more than 70 kilograms of cocaine over the Pacific Highway border crossing in B.C., officials say.

In a news release Thursday, the Canada Border Services Agency said Gerry Crawley, who is from New Brunswick, was handed his sentence on Feb. 26. Crawley was found guilty of possession for the purposes of trafficking and importing a controlled substance in connection to a inspection that happened on March 18, 2021.

On that day, Crawley passed through the border in a tractor-trailer filled with personal care items from California.

"During the examination, border services officers found 64 individually wrapped bricks of suspected cocaine hidden within the vehicle," CBSA's news release said.

The estimated value of the 71.5 kilograms of cocaine seized was $3.5 million.

"The successful conclusion of this proactive enforcement action by the CBSA, and the RCMP federal policing program is yet another example of our shared commitment to protecting Canadians from the serious threats posed by international criminal elements," Supt. Bert Ferriera of the RCMP's border integrity program, Pacific region, said in a statement.

"The nine-year prison sentence should also serve as a clear message to anyone involved in the distribution of illicit drugs, that our dedicated officers will relentlessly pursue them until they are brought to justice in the court of law."