Balwant Nagra, 29, had pled guilty earlier in Sarnia court to importing cocaine

Balwant Nagra, 29, had pled guilty earlier in Sarnia court to importing cocaine on Aug. 6, 2007.Through an interpreter, Nagra pleaded for a lesser sentence so he could stay with his family. He is married with a young child, who could be heard crying throughout the proceedings.When the sentence was announced, a female family member collapsed on the courtroom floor. She was taken to hospital with chest pains.
Justice Mark Hornblower said seven years was an appropriate sentence, even if the vulnerable Nagra was preyed upon by sophisticated commercial drug traffickers.
Hornblower quoted an appeal court judgment setting sentencing guidelines for cocaine smuggling at seven to 10 years for first offences.Untold misery results from hard drug use, Hornblower said.Nagra, who had no prior criminal record, came to Canada to make a better life for himself, and appears to have been successful until the cocaine smuggling, Hornblower said.U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officers notified Canadian authorities to watch for Nagra's truck after a cocaine shipment was tracked electronically from California to Detroit. The DEA alert was part of an international investigation code-named E-Paragon.DEA agents planted the tracking device after watching cocaine being added to a truckload of plums in California.In Michigan, two plum boxes holding 33 packages of cocaine were transferred to Nagra's truck before he crossed the Blue Water Bridge.After seizing the drugs, Canadian authorities released Nagra without charges so that E-Paragon could continue. He then drove Canadian routes only.Nagra was charged in November 2008 when the operation ended with multiple arrests in British Columbia.The investigation revealed Canadian marijuana and chemicals used in methamphetamine production were being traded for cocaine in a cross-border drug swap.Federal prosecutor Michael Robb said outside the courtroom there's a market for Canadian marijuana in California, and some chemicals are easier to obtain in Canada.
Toronto-based defence lawyer John Norris said Nagra viewed drug running as an easy way to escape financial problems, but is now heavy with remorse.Nagra wrung his hands and wept during sentencing.He was offered $10,000 to cross the border with the cocaine.Courier fees normally range from $500 to $1,000 per kilogram, with $1,000 the more common fee, said Robb.A report filed with the court estimate the cocaine's value at $1 million to $2.6 million, depending on how it would have been sold.