CANADIAN SENTENCED IN CATTLE TRAILER POT SMUGGLING CASE
More than 1700 Pounds of Marijuana Hidden Beneath the Floor of Cattle Trailer
EDWIN R. FULLER, 40, of Cloverdale, British Columbia, Canada, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute. On February 17, 2009, FULLER attempted to smuggle 1,746 pounds of marijuana into the United States from Canada, concealed in the floor of a cattle trailer. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly told FULLER, “When you are paid $20,000 to drive across the border, you know there are drugs in there.... This is a serious crime and there are serious consequences.”
According to records filed in the case, FULLER arrived at the Sumas Port of Entry driving a 2003 Peterbuilt tractor, towing a cattle trailer with about two dozen head of cattle. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors noticed a discrepancy in the floor of the cattle trailer. They directed FULLER to return to Canada and unload the cattle at a holding area so that they could further inspect the trailer. The further inspection revealed 1,746 pounds of marijuana concealed under the floor of the trailer. FULLER was arrested. The government has moved to forfeit FULLER’s Peterbuilt tractor.
In asking for a significant prison sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Brown wrote to the court that this was not the first time FULLER had smuggled dope across the border. “The Defendant was heavily involved in the distribution of an incredible amount of marijuana from Canada, a total of 1,746 pounds on the day he was arrested. Moreover, by his own admission he had made numerous previous trips into the United States with significant amounts of marijuana, being paid large amounts of cash on most occasions. His involvement in this ongoing activity is serious and deserving of a significant period of imprisonment,” Mr. Brown wrote in his sentencing memo.
The case was investigated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Brown.
For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.
