Canadian caught smuggling 59 kilos of cocaine sentenced to 10 years in U.S. prison

The National Post is reporting that A 37-year-old Canadian who was caught with 59 kilos of cocaine has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The U.S. Department of Justice said Friday that Martin Briand, who is also a French citizen, was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute cocaine after the cocaine was seized in December 2009.

Briand was on the run for six years before being arrested in December 2015 upon arriving at Vancouver International Airport from France. He had been identified by Canadian and U.S. border agents as being extensively involved in smuggling cocaine into Canada. “In just six months in 2009, this defendant made 29 flights in chartered aircraft between Point Roberts, Washington and points south without ever legally entering the U.S.,” said U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes.

“In his final trip, a Washington State Trooper caught him with nearly 60 kilos of cocaine. Anyone responsible for transporting these kinds of quantities of illegal drugs also is responsible for feeding countless drug addictions and the misery that comes with them, and thus deserves the lengthy sentence imposed in this case.”