Vancouver man given 13 years for drug conspiracy

A Vancouver man has been handed a 13-year prison term by a U.S. District Court judge in Seattle for conspiracy to export cocaine.

Forty-three-year-old Charles Lai was the leader of a cross-border smuggling operation uncovered at the Blaine Border crossing, south of Vancouver.

In October 2007, U.S. agents followed a suspect who was arrested on the Canadian side of the border with 228 kilograms of cocaine and three guns.

Three other men face charges in Canada, including Baljinder Kandola, a Canadian Border Guard who allegedly allowed the smugglers to pass through the border.

Lai admitted in a plea agreement that he was a member of the drug conspiracy, but other members claimed he was the man directing the smuggling operation.

When Lai spoke to the U.S. District Court he claimed he got involved in the conspiracy thinking it was just an investment opportunity, like buying stocks.

With files from The Canadian Press

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  A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer looks toward a car coming toward him at the border crossing between the U.S. and Canada, in Blaine, Wash. on Saturday, May 30, 2009. (AP / Elaine Thompson)