Indian National Convicted in Washington for Smuggling 170 Pounds of Ecstasy from Canada for Transnational Drug Syndicate

SPOKANE, Washington — A federal jury has convicted Jaskaran Singh, a 31-year-old Indian national working for a transnational drug-trafficking organization supplied from Canada, of smuggling 174 pounds of MDMA across the U.S.-Canada border in a remote, forested area. Singh—who traveled from California to Washington’s northern border to meet three men carrying the Ecstasy load from British Columbia in backpacks and a suitcase—faces up to 20 years in prison and potential deportation.

The conviction comes amid heightened scrutiny of Canada, particularly British Columbia, as a hub for toxic narcotics trafficking fueled by precursor chemicals from China. President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Canada of becoming a dangerous center for fentanyl production and export. Canadian legal experts say Vancouver’s attractiveness as a jurisdiction with lax port controls, weak laws, and a vast corporate and economic infrastructure facilitating international money laundering and underground banking has contributed to the region’s growth as a drug export center dominated by Chinese Triads and Mexican cartels.

“Mr. Singh trafficked more than 170 pounds of illegal drugs across our northern border into the United States,” stated Acting United States Attorney Richard Barker. The seizure, Barker said, was one of the largest ever in Eastern Washington, with a street value exceeding $7.8 million. Echoing the broader political messaging emanating from Washington, Barker said agents “intercepted this poison before it could harm communities in Eastern Washington.”