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 Cocaine was found inside a birthday cake at Pearson Airport in Toronto, Ont., Wednesday, July 29, 2009. (HO) |
TORONTO -- It was a sweet bust for customs drug dog Joker at Pearson International Airport.
A 64-year-old Toronto man has been charged after authorities found 2.4 kilograms of cocaine, worth about $500,000, in a chocolate cake that was being brought into the country from Trinidad and Tobago.
A man was returning last Sunday from the Caribbean country when he strolled into Joker. The dog alerted border guards that something was wrong with the cake, said Patrizia Giolti, of the Canada Border Services Agency.
Giolti added the layer cake, which was wrapped in plastic and inside a cardboard box, was sent for further checks.
"The cake was X-rayed and it showed anomalies," she said. "There were indicators showing something else was in the cake."
RCMP Sgt. Marc Laporte said the identity of the suspect hasn't been released due to their ongoing investigation.
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Lapointe said the Mounties are working with Trinidadian police to crush the drug smuggling ring.
"It is very unusual to find drugs in a cake," he said yesterday. "We are trying to find out who is responsible for this."
He said the suspect has been charged for importing a controlled substance and is before the courts.
Police alleged the suspect may have been a drug courier who was given a free holiday to return with the package.