Punjabi radio/TV host gets 5.5 years in prison for smuggling meth across Surrey border
Published 10:12 am Wednesday, April 15, 2026
A driver who sped off from Surrey’s Pacific Border Crossing with 108 kilos of methamphetamine in the trunk of her rented car after she was directed to secondary inspection has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
Justice John Gibb-Carsley sentenced Sukhvinder Kaur Sangha, 47, in B.C. Supreme Court on April 10 in New Westminster for her Oct. 18, 2021 crime.
When Sangha crossed into Canada from the United States a Canadian Border Services Agency officer told her that her car would be subjected to a secondary search and she fled at high speed. The CBSA officers chased Sangha, arrested her, searched her car and found 108 kilograms of methamphetamine in duffle bags in the trunk.
She was charged with one count of unlawful importation of methamphetamine, and one count of possessing methamphetamine for the purposes of trafficking contrary contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
On October 31, 2024, Sangha pleaded guilty to the unlawful importation charge and the Crown stayed the possession for the purpose of trafficking charge.
“The primary dispute on sentencing is Ms. Sangha’s moral blameworthiness,” the judge noted in his reasons for sentencing. “Ms. Sangha asserts that she was informed, indirectly, that if she did not pay $150,000, her teenage son would be harmed or killed. Ms. Sangha testified that ultimately she chose to import the drugs in lieu of paying the $150,000.”
Her lawyer argued for an “appropriate” conditional sentence – house arrest – below two years, followed by three years probation while the Crown argued for an “appropriate” prison term of 10 to 12 years.
The rental car had a Florida license plate. Sangha presented her Canadian passport and said that she’d flown to Washington State for her aunt’s funeral the previous day.
According to an “expert report” the meth was 100 per cent pure and valued at $1 million to $10 million. The court heard a mule would be paid $3,000 per kilograms for smuggling it into Canada.
Sangha was born in Prince George, British Columbia, lives in Burnaby and for the past 10 years has worked in media as a Punjabi language producer and broadcaster for radio and television.
“She testified that in her role she deals with news stories regarding criminal issues often. She has dealt with gang-related issues, and drug-related issues happening with the youth, especially in Surrey, British Columbia. She testified that in her work, she had the opportunity to interview ministers, celebrities, members of provincial parliament, and police officers. She also assisted in organizing a rally to bring awareness to the community regarding the danger of youth crime and drug use,” Gibb-Carsley noted.
He noted general deterrence is important in this case and if people in Sangha’s position escape consequences, “it sends a message to organized crime and drug traffickers to recruit these individuals to participate with the promise of money and without the fear of lengthy incarceration.
“That could set a dangerous precedent.”
The judge told Sangha, “I derive no pleasure in sentencing you.
“I have found that you participated in large scale drug importation and by doing so contributed to an activity that negatively impacts and harms society. I understand that my decision may be difficult for you. I understand that it will impose hardship upon you and your family. However, criminal activity has consequences. My hope is that you can use your time of incarceration productively and positively such that this is your last interaction with the criminal justice system.”