Trucker gets $200K bail in $34M cocaine bust at Sarnia bridge

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A truck driver arrested at the Blue Water Bridge

two weeks ago

on drug smuggling charges in a cocaine seizure worth up to $34 million was granted $200,000 bail Thursday.

But Ravinderbir Singh, 23, from Brampton, won’t be released from the Sarnia Jail until he and his sureties come up with the money, which includes a $60,000 deposit, and a GPS tracking device is attached to his ankle.

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Singh, among

three truckers arrested

at the twin-span Sarnia-area bridge on drug smuggling charges since late December, was taken into custody early on March 6 after a secondary search uncovered 333 kilograms of cocaine worth about $9 million, Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP officials said this week.

But during Singh’s bail hearing on Thursday, a Sarnia courtroom heard a different street value for the 333 kilograms – between $25 million and nearly $34 million. A prosecutor said the values can vary based on if the drugs are sold at the wholesale level.

#CBSA officers at the Blue Water Bridge port of entry stopped 419 kg of suspected cocaine from entering Canada from the United States. Two individuals have been charged by @RCMPONT. #ProtectingCanadians #BorderSecurity https://t.co/2ArTGNPDiB pic.twitter.com/qsv9hZ0rHf — Canada Border Services Agency (@CanBorder) March 19, 2025

The court also heard additional details about the alleged incident during the bail hearing, which wasn’t covered by a publication ban. Singh, a driver with Divine Freightlines Inc., picked up a trailer loaded with various items for the automotive industry in Columbus, Ohio, on March 5.

After arriving at the bridge shortly before midnight, the tractor-trailer was flagged by border officials for possibly carrying contraband tobacco and sent to be searched. While inspecting the load, officers found several black duffel bags between skids holding large canvas sacks storing plastic resin.

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All 24 skids were unloaded, a drug-sniffing dog was brought in, and 281 bricks of suspected cocaine were found in seven of the 24 canvas sacks, which had looser knots than the others. A small amount of ammunition also was found in one of the bricks.

The Crown’s theory is the drugs were transferred from a different truck coming from California at some point between the pickup in Ohio and the arrival at the bridge, the court heard.

Neither the allegations, nor the charges of importing cocaine and possessing cocaine for trafficking, have been tested in court.

Singh, who has no prior criminal record, came to Canada from India on a student visa in 2022 and was driving a truck on a work permit good until 2027. The goal was to become a permanent citizen.

Singh’s bail hearing started Tuesday in Sarnia and continued Thursday, with justice of the peace Debra Isaac giving her decision. After spending more than an hour explaining her reasons, she said the $40,000 pledge offered by Singh and his sureties, his wife and cousin, earlier this week wasn’t enough. She decided it had to be upped to $200,000, with Singh personally responsible for half the amount.

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If he’s able to secure the money, he’ll be released to live under house arrest with GPS tracking in Brampton and has to hand over his passport to the RCMP. While the case is before the courts he can’t leave Ontario, reapply for any travel documents, or be within 1 1/2 kilometres of any airport or international border.

He’s also barred from talking to several witnesses or staff from multiple trucking and logistics companies. The case returns to court in late April.

Meanwhile, a bail hearing for another recently accused truck driver, Pawandeep Dhillon, 34, from Innisfil, starts Friday in Sarnia. He was arrested at the Blue Water Bridge on Feb. 27 and charged with the same two offences.

Border officials and the RCMP said this week six kg of suspected cocaine worth about $2.3 million was found during that search.

There have been 19 known major drug smuggling incidents at the Blue Water Bridge since 2019, all but one involving truck drivers. Many of the cases are still before the courts in Sarnia, but some recently have resulted in prison sentences between 11 and 17 years.

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