Port Angeles, Wash. - Two Canadian nationals were arrested early Monday morning, May 31, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents and Marine Interdiction agents apprehended the men following a high-speed marine chase in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Kyle Grayson Gadsby, 25, and Colin Charles Crowe, 26, both of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, were initially spotted by Border Patrol agents about 1:30 a.m. yesterday coming ashore with large bales west of Port Angeles along State Route 112. When the agents attempted to apprehend the pair, Gadsby and Crowe jumped back into their vessel and headed north.
A CBP Office of Air and Marine vessel intercepted the fleeing vessel after a three minute chase. The two Canadians were returned to Border Patrol agents waiting on the shore and the Marine Interdiction agents searched and discovered eight bundles containing 547 pounds of marijuana floating in the water nearby. The marijuana and vessel were seized and the two Canadians arrested.
Blaine Border Patrol Sector Chief John C. Bates emphasized the cooperation between the various agencies responsible for maritime security in the area including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team. “Many of the areas on the Olympic Peninsula are very remote and the geography makes it difficult for any single law enforcement agency, federal, state or local, to deal with the ongoing threat of narcotics smuggling and distribution,” Bates said. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection is committed to the interdiction and apprehension of anyone involved in this type of criminal activity.”
Gadsby and Crowe will have their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma this afternoon. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting the investigation.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment