March saw a nine per cent increase in travellers at the North Portal border crossing over last year, as officers processed 24,697 travellers, entering in 6,259 vehicles and 11,326 commercial trucks.

At Estevan Highway, the overall number of travellers processed remains constant with previous years as 4,297 passengers entered Canada through this port. The number of commercial trucks however, continues to see large increases, 584 compared to 146 last year during the same month. Of interest as well is the increase of non-resident travellers which rose 32 per cent to 765 from 582 in 2011.

Last month, CBSA officers at North Portal issued 60 work permits. In addition,  47 travelers were refused entry, five for serious criminality and 19 for various others forms of criminality.  Six were refused entry for being non-genuine visitors and 17 for other inadmissibility issues.  

Immigration:

On March 2, a commercial driver from North Dakota sought entry to deliver commercial goods. Background checks revealed that he had been convicted of disorderly conduct, hindering law enforcement, and resisting arrest. As well, he had been previously refused entry into Canada. He was once again denied entry and returned to US authorities.

A US resident was seeking entry on March 5, 2012, to work as an iron worker in Saskatchewan, when background checks revealed that he had prior convictions for murder and attempted murder. The individual was refused entry to Canada and returned to US authorities.

On March 12, a US resident was seeking entry to deliver a commercial load in Saskatchewan.  Upon further examination by border officers, it was noted the individual had been convicted for sexually assaulting a minor and is a registered sex offender. He had previously been refused entry to Canada and was again refused entry to Canada and returned to US authorities.

On March 17, a Saskatchewan resident was returning through the Estevan Highway port on an ATV. His demeanour suggested to CBSA officers that he may have been drinking and driving.  Border officers
administered a roadside alcohol screening test which the individual failed. The subject was arrested and turned over to Estevan RCMP for further processing.  On April 2, the individual appeared in Estevan court and plead guilty to one count of impaired driving.  He was fined $1000 in addition to a $150 surcharge, and prohibited from driving for 1 year.  

On March 21, background checks revealed that a US resident, seeking entry to deliver a commercial load to central Alberta had been convicted of trafficking cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm for which
he served a total of 4.5 years imprisonment.  He was refused entry to Canada and returned to US authorities.

On March 31, at the Estevan Highway border crossing, a resident of North Dakota sought entry to assist a co-worker who’s vehicle had broken down in Estevan.  Border officers found the traveler had been
convicted of aggravated assault with a knife.  He was subsequently refused entry to Canada and turned over to US authorities.

Customs:

On March 5, a returning Canadian resident was importing a truck valued at US$10,000. Officers conducted a secondary exam and noted that several repairs had been done to the vehicle  after the purchase that were not reported, such as lights, pumps, a diesel superchip, glow plug module, repairing and resurfacing of doors, and a complete paint job and new tires for the trailer being towed.  The undeclared amount of repairs was US$2,164.  The vehicle was seized for undervaluation as the declared value must include not only the purchase price but also all upgrades or repairs. A penalty of $541.07 was paid for its return. Had the goods been properly declared, an additional $21.64 of taxes would have been all he would have had to pay, beyond what was paid for the initially declared amount.    

On March 7, a US resident was planning on traveling to northern Alberta for a month when he arrived at the North Portal border crossing.  During a secondary examination, a border services officer located a clear plastic bag that contained 1.75 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, a controlled narcotic. The drugs were seized and the individual was arrested and refused entry into Canada and returned to US authorities.  The vehicle was seized and a penalty of $440 was paid for its return.   

On March 10, a US resident arrived at North Portal, seeking entry to visit a friend in Saskatchewan. The individual was driving a pickup truck with an ATV in the box that appeared to be in showroom condition.  When questioned about the ATV, the traveler claimed that it was a gift to him from his Canadian friend. Further investigation revealed that the Canadian friend purchased the ATV and asked the US resident to bring it up and not report it, in an attempt to evade paying taxes on it.  The ATV was seized and a $1462.98 penalty was paid for its return.

On March 29, three travellers, two Canadian and one US resident, arrived at the port. During the examination, suspected child pornography was located on one of the travelers
laptops.  CBSA officers arrested one of the Canadian residents and turned her over to the Estevan RCMP. The US resident was refused entry as a non-genuine visitor and was turned over to US authorities. The other Canadian resident did not have any involvement and was allowed to enter Canada. The laptop was seized.

That same day, two US residents were coming to Canada to go hunting with a friend in Alberta. They were towing a motorcycle which they a claimed was theirs and it would be returning to the US after their visit. Further investigation revealed the friend in Canada had conspired with his American counterparts to have the motorcycle imported into Canada without paying taxes. The motorcycle was seized and released after the penalty of $4,033 was paid. Had the $10,000 motorcycle been properly declared, $1,008 in taxes would have been owing.

On six separate occasions in March, prohibited knives were found on travellers.  These ranged from switchblades to butterfly knives.  In each instance they were seized and a $500 penalty was assessed.