A man from Maple Ridge and woman from Pitt Meadows are among three people charged by the Canada Border Services Agency in relation to an anabolic steroid smuggling and distribution ring.
Matthew Allan Anderson of Maple Ridge, Kailea Elizabeth Ridsdale of Pitt Meadows and Brian David John McEathron of Mission have been charged with smuggling and possession of unlawfully imported goods under the Customs Act and importation and possession for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Criminal charges were also laid for the unsafe storage of firearms against Anderson and McEathron.
Anderson is also charged with the production of anabolic steroids. McEathron is also facing a criminal charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking fentanyl.
On Nov. 25, 2015, officers from the Canada Border Services Agency Criminal Investigations Section, in the Lower Mainland Area, executed search warrants and arrested Anderson, Ridsdale and McEathron, as a result of an ongoing investigation.
The investigation began in March 2014 after border services officers noted multiple shipments containing anabolic steroids and other import controlled substances at the Canada Border Services Agency Vancouver International Mail Centre and Vancouver International Airport – Air Cargo Operations.
An estimated 1,800 capsules – including 321 fentanyl pills – and over 33 kilograms of raw powder (anabolic steroids and prescription drugs) and 22 litres of liquid containing steroids and other import-controlled substances were seized in the investigation.
All three of the accused appeared at Vancouver Provincial Court on Dec. 20 and have been released on bail.
The next court appearance is Jan. 20, 2017.
“The CBSA conducts investigations of border-related criminal activity and prosecutes offenders to the full extent of the law. The excellent work of our criminal investigators in dismantling this smuggling operation in the Lower Mainland exemplifies the Agency’s commitment to securing our borders and keeping the people of Canada safe," said Roslyn H. MacVicar, regional director for the Pacific Region of CBSA.