THUNDER BAY – Border guards at the Pigeon River crossing seized a set of brass knuckles and nearly $20,000 cash from two people attempting to enter the country.
The two Canadian residents attempted to cross the border on Aug. 19 before being flagged for further questioning, which led to a search of the vehicle where the brass knuckles and cash was found.
It was discovered during questioning that one of the individuals was involved in proceeds of crime, drugs and people smuggling.
On Aug. 14 one person learned the hard way to properly declare the value of purchases when trying to return home.
The person had purchased a vehicle in the United States and told border officers it had cost $4,500. After questioning they discovered $6,500 was paid.
The man received a fine of more than $1,500 whereas the duty would have only been about an additional $80.
The crossing into Canada saw a one per cent drop in number of travellers and two per cent decline in the number of vehicles from the previous year.