Innisfil, Ont. truck driver accused of smuggling $2.3M of cocaine from U.S. into Canada granted bail

An Innisfil truck driver accused of smuggling $2.3M worth of suspected cocaine over the border is granted bail on separate assault charges.

An Innisfil, Ont. man charged with smuggling suspected cocaine into Canada from the United States has been granted bail.

Pawandeep Dhillon, 34, was granted his release from custody to a surety from Brampton who pledged $5,000. As part of his release conditions, Dhillon is to wear a GPS ankle monitor and cannot have weapons in his possession.

The accused is facing an assault charge, along with failure to comply with a release order, stemming an incident in late January, according to South Simcoe police. Court documents obtained by CTV News reveal Dhillon was not to be within 100 metres of certain people.

Dhillon had been in custody for about a month since the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency announced he had been picked up at the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia, Ont. coming into Canada from the U.S. with 86 kg of suspected cocaine worth about $2.3 million inside four duffle bags, according to investigators.

The RCMP charged Dhillon with importing a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Police said a total of about 419 kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of $11 million was seized in two investigations at the Blue Water Bridge within three weeks when the border service’s National Targeting Centre identified two commercial shipments potentially containing drugs bound for Canada from the United States.

The accused is scheduled to make his next appearance in a virtual Bradford courtroom in May. The allegations against him have not been tested in court.