Story Published:
Nov 16, 2007 at 9:07 PM PST
Story Updated:
Nov 16, 2007 at 11:40 PM PST
A 28-year-old Canadian man was arrested near the U.S. border in Blaine after customs agents found 93,000 tablets of Ecstasy in his car, officials said on Friday.
Tavinder Singh Randhawa, of Delta, British Columbia, was taken into custody shortly after he entered the U.S. through a designated NEXUS lane around 7 a.m. on Thursday. Border agents said they found some 53 pounds of the tablets secreted in the gas tank of Randhawa's 1991 extended cab Ford pickup.
Randhawa is said to be a student of Bellingham Technical College and a daily commuter via the NEXUS lane.
His NEXUS pass was revoked and Randhawa made his appearance in federal court in Seattle on Thursday.
The NEXUS frequent traveler program allows prescreened low-risk travelers to drive in a designated lane, which allows them to avoid heavy delay in frequently-congested areas.