A Surrey, B.C., senior is facing multiple charges after border officials discovered 27 pounds of ecstasy in his minivan while he attempted to cross into Washington State.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Pacific Highway crossing arrested Amar Dutt after searching his vehicle on Friday.
The 69-year-old told border officials he was going to Seattle to purchase healing crystals, but he was brought in for a search after displaying "odd" behaviour.
"It was the circumstances when he was pulled in," Chief CBP Officer Thomas Schreiber said.
"His behaviour and his responses to questions was just off in contradiction with the regular traffic circumstances."
Officers with K9 units searched the vehicle and were led to the fuel tank, where they discovered 48,244 multicoloured tablets of ecstasy - estimated to be worth more than one half million dollars.
Schreiber believes Dutt is a drug mule.
"The criminal organizations have a sophisticated structure of producing and manufacturing and distributing and a lot of time they use people who are underemployed or looking for work," Schreiber said.
"And elderly folks are living on a fixed income and it's unfortunate that criminal organizations take advantage of that."
Dutt was immediately taken into custody and has been turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The senior could face felony drug charges.
