Border Officer Facing Trafficking Charges After Truck Carrying Drugs Enters Ontario: RCMP

Cars cross the border into Canada, in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Aug. 9, 2021. The Canadian Press/Eduardo Lima

A border officer is facing trafficking and conspiracy charges after being accused of allowing a transport truck loaded with millions of dollars worth of drugs to pass through the Ontario-New York border in the Niagara area.

The RCMP has confirmed a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer stationed at the Queenston-Lewiston port of entry in Niagara-on-the-Lake, was arrested in January for failing to adhere to CBSA regulations. A March 20 press release alleges the officer allowed a truck laden with contraband to cross into Canada. The driver of the transport truck has also been arrested, the press release said.

The RCMP charged border officer Daniel Notarianni and truck driver Abhishek Abhishek on March 6.

Both men were charged with conspiracy to import a Schedule 1 substance, trafficking a controlled substance, importation of a Schedule 1 substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking, distribution of a Schedule 1 substance, and transportation and possession of tobacco for the purpose of sale.

Notarianni’s arrest and subsequent charges come after he was awarded a Peace Officer Exemplary Service Medal by the governor general last October. The medal honours peace officers who have served with outstanding conduct for at least 20 years, including a minimum of 10 years in roles that entail potential risk.

Notarianni is expected to appear in a Welland, Ont., court on March 23 and Abhishek is scheduled to appear on April 9.

RCMP Superintendent Dale Foote said the investigation and subsequent arrests emphasize the collaboration between the RCMP and the CBSA on border security.

“When the CBSA brought this information forward, our members were able to respond quickly and carry out a careful, impartial investigation,” he said in the press release. “The charges announced today reflect our commitment to upholding the law with integrity and consistency.”

Drug Seizure Data

Canada-wide CBSA statistics show border officers seized more than 44 million grams of cannabis during fiscal 2025-2026 as well as 1,798,692 cartons of contraband tobacco.

The dashboard doesn’t provide specific numbers for opium seizures during the timeframe, but says the CBSA confiscated more than 1 million grams of opioids, which includes opium, methadone, morphine and morphine base.

Border officers also seized 1,007 grams of fentanyl, 3,705,608 grams of crack or cocaine, 94,842 grams of heroin, 307,920 grams of hash, and more than 20 million grams of other narcotics, drugs, and chemicals.

Canada shares the world’s longest undefended border with the United States, spanning nearly 9,000 kilometres across both land and water.

Drug seizures have been made at multiple ports of entry over the past year, including what Canada’s border agency has labelled the largest narcotics seizure ever recorded at the Abbotsford-Huntingdon border crossing in British Columbia.

Canadian border guards apprehended a man trying to smuggle a “significant amount” of methamphetamine from the United States at the B.C. crossing last November, the agency said in a Feb. 10 press release. Border officers confiscated 12 boxes containing 314 kilograms of methamphetamine discovered in the truck and trailer.