A U.S. trucker headed to Canada with a load of produce was caught with a loaded handgun and methamphetamine in his cab in an unusual discovery made during an inspection at the Ambassador Bridge border crossing, authorities said on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old driver, whose name wasn’t released, was detained on Friday night after border officers searched his cab during a routine outbound inspection, said Kris Grogan, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson.
Officers found an undeclared 9 mm CPX-2 pistol, a magazine, a baggie filled with meth and a pipe, according to the CBP.
“He didn’t say much of anything,” Grogan said of the driver, who was working for an undisclosed carrier.
Grogan said it’s uncommon for truckers to get caught with guns at the border crossing, which links Detroit with Windsor, Ontario.
“We do get quite a few guns at the Ambassador Bridge, but more so with passenger vehicles,” Grogan said.
Strict rules for bringing guns across the border
Canada has strict rules about what kinds of guns are allowed into the country and how to transport them. It requires special authorization, and the firearms themselves must be unloaded and stored out of sight in a locked location.
A South Carolina trucker was fined and banned from entering Canada after border officers discovered two undeclared handguns, ammo and bear spray at the Osoyoos crossing in British Columbia in 2016. The driver told the court that he had forgotten he had the weapons, according to a report in the Penticton Western News.
CBP officers handed over the driver along with the gun, ammo, meth and pipe, to the Detroit Police Department because the driver is not facing federal charges, Grogan said.
It’s not clear what happened to the trucker from there. Detroit police did not immediately respond to FreightWaves’ questions about the matter.