Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations announced today the arrest of a Canadian male attempting to smuggle marijuana across the border. On Nov. 10, CBP officers working at the Peace Bridge encountered 39-year-old Jordan Rodger, a citizen of Canada and resident of Toronto, Ontario. Rodger was traveling in his mother’s 2009 Porsche and claimed to be destined to the local area for shopping. The CBP officer inspecting the vehicle noticed luggage in the rear of the vehicle during a trunk exam and referred the vehicle for further inspection. When the vehicle was searched by CBP officers, a brown suitcase was found to contain coffee grinds surrounding vacuum sealed bags with a green leafy substance. All 20 vacuum sealed bags tested positive for marijuana. Often coffee grinds are used in an attempt to mask the potent marijuana smell. The approximate weight of the marijuana was 23 pounds. Rodger was arrested by CBP officers and turned over to the custody of the Buffalo...

A Canadian citizen is facing charges after being found hiding behind some luggage in the trunk of car that was crossing the Peace Bridge. US Customs and Border Protection agents say they were inspecting the vehicle when they found 41-year-old Demetry Furman hiding in the trunk. He had previously been refused admission to the United States because of his criminal record. He was arraigned in federal court on a charge of eluding inspection. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

If you’re headed to Canada today, make sure you have plenty of gas in your car for the trip back to the U.S. The Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition is reporting delays of up to 3 hours for people coming into the United States. The delays on the Peace Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston are 2 to 3 hours. The delays on the Rainbow Bridge are from 1 to 2 hours. The wait to get into Canada could be up to half an hour. Updates are available here: http://www.nittec.org/ The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Buffalo, N.Y. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), announced the seizure of over eighteen thousand marijuana pipes and accessory paraphernalia in a cargo shipment attempting to cross at the Peace Bridge. On November 5th, CBP Officers intercepted a shipment of 147 boxes of illegal drug paraphernalia destined to New York City. (See photo) The shipment, originating in China, was being hauled across the border manifested as glass vases and pipe accessories. The shipment was targeted by CBP Trade Enforcement Officers due to discrepancies in the shipping paperwork and was held for a secondary inspection. The boxes were offloaded and all items were inventoried and inspected. A total of over 16,000 marijuana smoking pipes were discovered and over 2,000 other accessory items were revealed. The Port of Buffalo has executed approximately five other similar seizures in 2011, all goods originating from East Asia, with this case being the largest. In almost all cases, the quantity a...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations announced the seizure of over 15 pounds of marijuana and the arrest of a Canadian citizen in the smuggling attempt. On January 13, CBP officers encountered Michael Mazza, a 40-year-old Canadian citizen from Fort Erie, Ontario as he applied for admission into the United States at the Peace Bridge border crossing. Mr. Mazza advised the primary CBP officer that he was en route to the Buffalo area to shop. Additional questioning raised the suspicion of the primary CBP officer and Mr. Mazza was referred for a secondary enforcement exam. During the course of the secondary inspection, CBP officers discovered an anomaly with the spare tire. A physical inspection yielded 15 vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana concealedin the spare tire. The bags had a total weight of approximately 15.4 pounds of marijuana andan estimated street value of $60,000. Mr. Mazza was arrested on charges of importation and possession with the intent to di...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Field Operations today announced that they seized about 20 pounds of Ecstasy from a Canadian citizen who was trying to cross the Peace Bridge on Sunday. CBP officers encountered Anthony Ighodaro, a 29-year-old Canadian citizen from Mississauga, Ontario, as he applied for admission into the United States at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo. Ighodaro provided a Canadian passport as proof of citizenship and identity and told the primary CBP that he was on his way to the mall to spend the day shopping. Ighodaro was selected for a CBP secondary enforcement exam. During the course of the secondary vehicle inspection, a CBP narcotics detector dog demonstrated a positive alert to the rear bumper area of the vehicle. A subsequent physical inspection of the area in question resulted in the discovery of two black garbage bags that were affixed to the inside rear bumper utilizing black tape and wire. The garbage bags were found to contain six clear ...