The Canda Border Services Agency (CBSA) refused entry to 55 foreign nationals in the month of February this year, including 36 who had a criminal history and were attempting to enter Canada.
At the Carievale border crossing, officers turned back a United States male who had been convicted of sexual assault of a child, as well as a woman who had been convicted on six counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines. They also arrested a man from North Dakota on grounds of his involvement in organized crime. An immigration and refugee board hearing found the man inadmissible due to his membership in the Varrio Norwalk gang, so a deportation order was issued.
At the Northgate border station, officers refused entry to a North Dakoa man on Feb. 18 after it was learned he had been convicted of making terrorist threats. That same man attempted to seek entry into Canada at the North Portal border crossing station six days later and was again refused entry.
North Portal officers also refused entry to a man convicted of sexual assault.
On Feb. 23, North Portal officers intercepted and arrested an impaired driver and turned him over to the RCMP.
At the Oungre, Sask., crossing, officers refused entry to an American male who had been convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines.
At the remote West Poplar River border crossing, officers turned back two U.S. travellers who were attempting to enter Canada. One person had a record of several convictions, as well as a pending charge for impaired driving; and the other person had been convicted of assault.
At Saskatchewan’s busiest land-based border crossing, North Portal, CBSA officers seized a loaded .25 calibre pistol from an American male commercial truck driver. The pistol was discovered during a routine check of the vehicle on Feb. 10. The CBSA officers uncovered the gun, stuffed in a sock inside a piece of luggage. The man was subsequently arrested and charges are now pending.
On Feb. 1 and again on Feb. 4, CBSA officers seized a total of 40 undeclared overcapacity ammunition magazines, 25 in the first incident and 15 during the second seizure action.
Following the two suspected child pornography seizures CBSA made in Saskatchewan in January, officers at the Regina International Airport arrested a returning male resident on Feb. 16 after observing multiple images of suspected child pornography on his tablet. The traveller and his electronic devices were transferred to the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit where he was taken into custody.
CBSA officers in Saskatchewan process an average of 64,271 travellers every month. These travellers arrive in 15,789 cars, 12,424 commercial trucks and 263 flights.
Between 2010 and 2015, CBSA officers in this province have averaged five suspected child pornography seizures per year, but in 2016, in just two months, they have already matched that average with five seizures.
