|
Officials
Seize Nearly One Ton of Illegal Drugs in Canadian Trash Truck
Nearly one ton of marijuana
was found buried in a truckload of garbage crossing the Blue Water Bridge,
entering Michigan from Toronto on September 24. U.S. Customs and Border
Protection agents found about 1,900 pounds of the drug packed in 59 plastic
bags and hockey equipment duffel bags, making this one of the biggest
drug busts in recent Michigan history. Law enforcement officials value
the drug’s street value at approximately $9 million. This was the
second time a truck carrying Canadian trash was caught smuggling a large
quantity of drugs across the border.
Local
Officials Put Out Trash Truck Fire on Blue Water Bridge
In September, a garbage truck heading from Toronto to Wayne County was
on fire when it attempted to cross the Blue Water Bridge. The fire required
8,000 gallons of water and one and a half hours to douse. In addition
to the time and materials spent by local, state and federal employees
to put out the fire, a large amount of hazardous and toxic waste was expelled,
all on the deck of one of the busiest border crossings in the United States.
Audaciously, the very same truck returned just five hours later and tried
to cross the border again, this time leaking wet garbage all over the
bridge, which had to be cleaned up by HAZMAT crews in Port Huron.
Canadian Trash Truck
Arrives in Michigan Dripping Blood
Last October, a Canadian trash truck from Toronto was denied entry into
Michigan because it contained broken bags of untreated blood and hospital
waste. The truck was literally dripping blood and leaking contaminants.
This was in direct violation of Michigan and Ontario law, which requires
medical waste to remain contained in secure containers and that non-decontaminated
medical waste not get mixed with other waste.
Canadian
Trash Trucks Carry Radiological and Medical Waste into Michigan
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow authored legislation earlier this year to
ensure that the Ambassador and Blue Water bridges be equipped with detection
equipment called portals and that staff be trained to use them. These
portals search for the presence of radiological and nuclear materials
and weapons; trucks found with radioactive cargo are not allowed into
Michigan. As a result of these searches, truck loads of trash are regularly
sent back to Canada. These portals were installed in June -- we may never
know how much radioactive waste was dumped in Michigan before then.
|
