Police arrest Montreal man after multi-million dollar drug bust at Port of Halifax
Posted Jun 1, 2010 2:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Police have made an arrest after millions of dollars worth of cocaine was found on a ship at the Port of Halifax.
The 343 kilograms of cocaine were found on a Montreal-bound vessel from Venezuela in November.
The drugs were hidden in a sophisticated manner, in ceramic tiles and were found using x-ray technology.
Andrew LeFrank with the Canada Border Services Agency says intelligence led them to investigate the vessel.
“We targeted it and based on that we did our normal examination process which includes putting things through x-ray machines,” says LeFrank.
Following an eight-month investigation police arrested a Montreal man Tuesday morning. Michel Safar, 47, faces charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Police say more arrests are possible.
RCMP SSgt. Allan Harding wouldn’t say specifically what the street value of the drugs was.
“Except to say that on average in Halifax a kilo of cocaine may sell for up to $50,000,” says Harding.
Which means the seizure could have been worth upwards of $17 million on the market.
Authorities say this is one of the biggest drug seizures ever for the Port of Halifax.
