A man who told Canadian border guards he’d been living in a tent and working in Canada illegally for the past three months was among 162 travellers denied entry at the Douglas border last month.
Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Renée Ribout said this week that the foreign national was detained Nov. 15 for an admissibility hearing after he told officers he had no fixed address or phone number, and no intention of returning to his home country.
Another traveller – identified as a gang member – was also deemed inadmissible last month. The man, who bore what appeared to be gang tattoos, piqued officers’ suspicions Nov. 26. He admitting to selling drugs on behalf of his gang, Ribout noted.
Criminal records, weapons possession and undeclared cash landed a number of other travellers in hot water. Between Nov. 1-27, border officers made 36 seizures, including 26 of narcotics, one of a vehicle, three involving cash and one of firearms.
The firearms – two handguns, two rifles and three prohibited, high-capacity magazines – were seized Nov. 4, after two U.S. residents arrived at the border claiming they were lost. Both travellers were refused entry.
Two residents of China were fined $250 Nov. 5, for failing to declare more than $16,500 in cash found amongst personal belongings. A search was conducted after guards noticed inconsistencies in their answers, Ribout said.
Another undeclared cash cache was discovered Nov. 23, during examination of two Canadians travelling from Seattle. While the pair twice denied carrying more than $10,000 cash, a pocket search found $13,000, Ribout said. One – who’d previously had currency seized at Vancouver International Airport – was fined $2,500 for a second offence.
Included among several drug-related incidents was a man who appeared nervous and claimed to be lost. He was arrested and fined Nov. 8, after border guards found nearly 30 grams of marijuana hidden in a lunch box. Upon release, he paid $440 for the release of his car.