"Trusted-traveler" trucker charged with smuggling Ecstasy

A Canadian man enrolled in a so-called trusted-traveler program that gives truckers expedited border crossing has been charged after allegedly trying to smuggle into the U.S. some $2 million worth of Ecstasy tablets, hidden in his rig under boxes of toilet paper.

Jasbir Saran, 32, of Surrey, B.C., was driving a 2005 Peterbilt commercial truck with a shipment of toilet tissue, attempting to cross the border at Blaine, when he was selected by U.S. border officers for an secondary examination. An X-ray inspection revealed something suspicious about his cargo.

On further examination, officers said they discovered three duffel bags with 203,897 multicolored Ecstasy tablets. Saran was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Last night we prevented approximately $2 million worth of this illicit drug from reaching the streets of our country and poisoning our communities," said Margaret Fearon, port director at Blaine.

Saran appeared in federal court on Thursday on charges of possessing with intent to distribute Ecstasy. His bond hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Ecstasy is the street name for the drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine — abbreviated as MDMA — which was classified as a Schedule 1 drug in 1985. That means it has no medical value and a high potential for abuse. Border officials say it has become almost as common among smugglers as marijuana, the so-called B.C. Bud.

Saranhad been enrolled in the U.S. government's FAST program, a trusted-traveler program that expedites entry into the U.S. of prescreened, low-risk commercial truck drivers who have undergone a background check.

While they are given quick entry via a dedicated lane at the border, they may also be subject to random secondary inspections.

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com