British man arrested at Vancouver Airport for carrying 1.36kg of heroin in stomach

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently intercepted a traveller at Vancouver International Airport who was attempting to smuggle suspected heroin into Canada.

On March 23, a male traveller who arrived via Brussels and London was referred for a secondary examination. During the examination, border services officers (BSOs) became suspicious that he had ingested narcotics as a means to smuggle them into the country, and he was immediately arrested.

While under the CBSA’s care and control, he expelled a number of pellets. The pellets were field tested by BSOs and tested positive for suspected heroin. He was later escorted to the hospital, where X-rays confirmed the presence of additional foreign objects in his digestive system. He remained in the hospital until all pellets were expelled.

The 67 pellets of suspected heroin expelled by the traveller weighed approximately 1.36 kilograms.

On March 26, the traveller and suspected heroin were transferred into the custody of the RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime. Federal Serious and Organized Crime investigators submitted a report to Crown Counsel and the Crown approved the charges.

John Josephs, a 40-year-old resident of the United Kingdom, has been charged with importation and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Source/Image: CBSA