Canadian charged after U.S. border guards catch three men allegedly smuggling 100 kg of cannabis in backpacks

BURLINGTON, VT --  A Canadian has been charged with attempting to smuggle more than 100 kilograms of cannabis into the United States through the Quebec-Vermont border.

According to court documents filed in Federal Court in Burlington, two U.S. Border Patrol officers were patrolling a wooded area of ​​North Troy around 7:45 p.m. Monday when they heard, and then saw, three men carrying large backpacks.

North Troy is just over the border from the Quebec town of Highwater, which is about a 40-minute drive southeast of Knowlton, in the Eastern Townships.

When the men with the backpacks got about 12 meters from the officers, they dropped their bags and ran back towards Canada.

Border officers pursued the men. One of the officers used his taser and subdued a suspect, who was later identified as Scott Allen Cameron, the border patrol agency said.

The suspect complained of nausea and was taken to North Country Hospital in Newport.

Prosecutors filed a motion on Monday asking that Scott Allen Cameron be held until his trial.

Another cannabis smuggling incident took place in the same area on June 22, according to court documents.

This report was first published by The Associated Press on Sept. 1, 2020.