CBP officers at Lewiston-Queenston Bridge arrest Canadian citizens for drug possession

6 vacuum-sealed bags discovered inside vehicle’s door panel

Submitted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs

Two Canadian citizens were arrested Saturday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Buffalo port of entry’s Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing seized multiple bags of marijuana hidden throughout their vehicle.

CBP officers arrested Canadian citizens Andrea Seivewright, 43, the driver of a Mercedes Benz SUV, and Daniel Hughes, 35, and turned them over to Lewiston Police Department, who charged them with felony second-degree possession of marijuana.

On March 21, CBP officers at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge crossing encountered a Mercedes Benz SUV with Ontario plates being driven by Seivewright after a CBP narcotics detector dog alerted to her vehicle. CBP officers then escorted the vehicle and occupants to a secondary inspection area for further examination.

CBP officers scanned the vehicle and detected anomalies in both the rear quarter panel and the trunk door. Officers examined the anomalies and discovered six vacuum sealed bags of a green, leafy substance. That substance tested positive for the properties of marijuana.

The marijuana weighed approximately 6 pounds and had an estimated street value of more than $16,000.

Acting Port Director Sharon Swiatek said, "Our highly trained K-9 team played a critical role in the successful interdiction of narcotics concealed within a vehicle. The detection abilities of our canine and diligence of our officers led to the discovery and seizure of illegal substances, and the transfer of two suspects to local authorities for criminal prosecution.”

Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

CBP's border security mission is led at this nation’s ports of entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the office of field operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and this nation’s safety and economic vitality.