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  4. Canadian Woman Arrested with Cocaine at Blaine's Pacific Highway Crossing

Canadian Woman Arrested with Cocaine at Blaine's Pacific Highway Crossing

Release Date
Fri, 12/19/2014

BLAINE, Wash. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO), arrested a 32-year-old Canadian woman from Delta, British Columbia on December 17 for allegedly attempting to export cocaine.

Robyn Courtney Bell, driving her 2007 Volvo XC90 was originally en route to Canada when she was encountered by CBP Officers departing the United States at the Pacific Highway port of entry. 

A U.S. Border Patrol agent deployed his partner, “Zzook,” a trained detection canine on her vehicle.  Zzook sniffed the vehicle and alerted to the odor of narcotics or a concealed person emanating from the rear of the vehicle. 

During the inspection of Bell’s Volvo an aftermarket compartment was discovered and accessed resulting in the discovery of 21 sealed packages weighing 23 kilograms.  A field test yielded a positive result for the properties of cocaine.

Bell was immediately placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.  She was turned over to agents from Blaine Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) for further investigation and prosecution.

“Cocaine is a dangerous drug that has a destructive impact on communities throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Area Port Director Greg Alvarez.  “This demonstrates the importance of the CBP mission and the vigilance of our frontline officers in protecting the homeland by securing our borders.”

The ICE Homeland Security Investigations-led BEST is composed of full-time members from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Offices of Air and Marine, Field Operations and Border Patrol; the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office; the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Canada Border Services Agency; and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. BEST Blaine combats transnational criminal organizations by identifying, investigating and eliminating vulnerabilities along one of the most diverse geographic areas along the northern border.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021