A British Columbia woman with a background in Punjabi-language broadcasting has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison after attempting to bring 108 kilograms of methamphetamine into Canada from the United States. The sentence was delivered by the B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on April 10.
According to the court ruling, Sukhvinder Kaur Sangha pleaded guilty in 2024 to unlawful importation following her arrest in October 2021. Authorities said she was stopped after fleeing the Pacific border crossing in Surrey at high speed in a rental vehicle. Border officials had directed her to undergo a secondary inspection before she drove away, leading to a police pursuit.
Court documents state that Sangha arrived at the crossing on Oct. 21, 2021, in a rental car with Florida licence plates and told border officers she had been in Washington State for her aunt’s funeral. After officers selected the vehicle for further examination, she fled the crossing and was later stopped on 16th Avenue in Surrey.
A search of the vehicle uncovered four duffel bags containing 108 kilograms of methamphetamine. The drugs were estimated to have a street value ranging from $1 million to $10 million. The judge said evidence presented in court showed Sangha was not acting under coercion, despite her claim that she had been threatened and pressured into carrying out the smuggling operation.
Justice John Gibb-Carsley said Sangha gave untruthful testimony and found that text message evidence pointed to her being a willing and trusted participant in the operation. The ruling also indicated the messages suggested she may have transported drugs across the border on previous occasions. The judge concluded that her conduct reduced the weight of any remorse that might otherwise have been reflected by her guilty plea.
The court noted that Sangha, now 47, was born in Prince George and had worked for about a decade as a Punjabi-language radio and television producer. She was known in her community for producing crime-related stories and interviewing public figures, including ministers, celebrities, members of the provincial legislature, and police officers.
During sentencing, the judge told Sangha that involvement in the illegal drug trade carries serious risks and consequences and is not a victimless crime. He also expressed hope that she would use her time in custody productively and avoid future contact with the criminal justice system.
