Pleading guilty to attempted smuggling has led a Saskatchewan court to hand down a six-month conditional sentence to a Brampton truck driver caught with 67 grams of opium, according to a new report.
Back in March, the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP in Estevan, Sask., said they found 67 grams of opium being brought into Canada at the North Portal port of entry, at the Saskatchewan-North Dakota border.
The drugs were found inside a transport vehicle, and Iqbal Kahlon, 53, of Brampton was charged with unlawfully importing a Schedule I substance and smuggling goods into Canada.
Kahlon has since pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle goods into Canada under the Customs Act, and has been given a six-month conditional sentence, according to reporting by Discovery Weyburn.
READ MORE: Brampton man charged after drugs found at Saskatchewan border crossing
The Brampton trucking company owner must reportedly refrain from possessing or consuming controlled substances or drugs not prescribed by a medical doctor.
He must also participate in addiction assessments or programming if directed by his probation officer, and complete 25 hours of community service within the first five months of the order, to be completed in the Estevan community, according to the report.
The Crown reportedly told the court that border officials identified a previous incident around six months before the bust, where Kahlon was found with 13 grams of opium while crossing into Ontario.
The incident did not result in charges despite the drugs being seized at that time, but was reportedly an aggravating factor in the sentencing, Discovery Weyburn says.
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The North Portal border crossing connects the City of Portal, North Dakota, with the Village of North Portal in Saskatchewan.
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