California man facing numerous charges after border agents found cannabis and US$600,000, while female driver arrested in stolen vehicle
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Border agents in Niagara Falls dealing with two drivers going the wrong way laid charges after uncovering alleged criminal activity.
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RCMP say on May 2, a California man was following GPS coordinates that were entered improperly. After taking a wrong turn, he ended up in line at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing.
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After the driver didn’t provide a U.S. passport, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials conducted a secondary examination. During the vehicle inspection, 181 kilos of cannabis was discovered, which officials valued at between $362,000 and $724,000, along with more than US$600,000 ($816,167) in cash.
The cash was found in a suitcase, safe and pelican case — a hard-shelled lockable case — while the cannabis was vacuum-sealed and hidden in numerous boxes.
The driver was arrested by border agents and the cannabis and cash were seized. The RCMP’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Federal Policing Border Integrity Team has taken over the case.
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Andrew Lee Toppenberg, 60, of Tustin, Calif., is charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of distribution, importing cannabis, and possession of proceeds of property over $5,000 knowing that all or part of the proceeds was obtained by a crime in the U.S.
He appeared before a judge in St. Catharines on May 5 and remains in jail. His next court date has not been scheduled.
“The CBSA and the RCMP continue to get positive results from our collaboration to protect Canada’s borders,” Supt. Rae Bolsterli, RCMP Ontario Division, said in a statement. “This seizure of cash and contraband is one more example of how our combined services are keeping Ontario citizens safe from criminal activities.”
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Meanwhile, another American driver who had trouble navigating the streets also found herself at the Rainbow Bridge.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the female driver was denied entry into Canada by CBSA agents after making a wrong turn at the bridge on Monday.
Upon her return, U.S. customs officers escorted the 24-year-old driver and the vehicle, a 2022 Honda HR-V, to a secondary inspection.
The vehicle identification number revealed that the Honda, valued at US$29,000, had been reported stolen from the Buffalo Airport.
A background check of the driver also showed an active warrant out of New York’s Broome County Sheriff’s Office for Larceny – Grand Larceny 3.
The driver was turned over to the New York State Police.
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