U.S. man drives into Canada by mistake, gets busted with 78 pounds of pot on the way back

A U.S. man who accidentally crossed the border into Canada was arrested when he turned around and came back after authorities found 78 pounds of illegal marijuana in his supposedly empty vehicle. The man, driving a rented truck, was following directions on his mobile phone that were leading him into Canada “unknowingly” via the Peace Bridge border between Fort Erie., Ont. and Buffalo, N.Y, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. After circling around and returning to the U.S. border, the 43-year-old explained his confusion and told a CBP officer his vehicle was empty. A cursory examination, however, uncovered several boxes in the back of the cube truck. A more thorough inspection was ordered, and it found those boxes contained 60 vacuum-sealed packages of marijuana, which CBP said has a street value of roughly US$230,000 (CAD$312,000). He was taken into custody and later turned over to Buffalo police, who are expected to charge him with criminal possession of cannabis.  “Our dedicated CBP officers continue to perform their jobs at the highest levels,” Area Port Director Gaetano Cordone said in a press release.  “Their training and experience help to keep our communities safe from these illegal narcotics.” The accused’s crossing may have been unintentional, but according to Statistics Canada, the number of U.S.-resident trips to Canada by vehicle was down 8.4 per cent from a year ago in May compared to the year prior. Canadian travel to the U.S. by road, meanwhile, was down 38.1 per cent compared with May 2024.

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