A Canadian Punjabi TV host has been sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for importing drugs from the United States.
A 47-year-old woman who has worked as a Punjabi radio and television host in Canada for the past 10 years was caught red-handed smuggling methamphetamine from the United States in 2021 and sentenced to 5.5 years in prison. The verdict was handed down recently after Sukhvinder Kaur Sangha pleaded guilty to importing drugs, which police estimated were worth $1 million to $10 million. Her lawyer said she was forced to commit the crime because someone threatened to kill or harm her then-teenage son if she didn’t pay $150,000, the Vancouver Sun reported. Sanga’s lawyers sought two years or less of house arrest, plus three years of probation, while prosecutors sought 10 to 12 years in prison.
Try to import drugs in 2021
On October 18, 2021, Sanga drove a rental car with Florida license plates across the U.S.-Canada border in Surrey. She showed her Canadian passport and told police she had flown to Washington to attend her aunt’s funeral. Canada Border Services Agency officers asked her to pull over and search her car, but she sped away.Another border officer chased her, honking at her, forcing her to eventually slow down. Police found the filthy duffel bag containing drugs, two iPhones and an erased iPad. In August, September and October of the same year, Sangha went to the United States three times. It is unclear whether she also imported drugs on these trips.
Who is Sukhwinder Kaur Sangha?
Sangha was born in Prince George. She trained as a pharmacy technician and held that position for some time. She then worked as a Punjabi producer and broadcaster for ten years. She has interviewed politicians, police officers and celebrities as a presenter and is an active community member speaking out against youth crime and drug abuse. Sangha is a single mother of three who also cares for her ailing 78-year-old mother. Prosecutors stressed that criminal gangs would take advantage of people like Sangha if such crimes were not adequately punished, promising they would not be sentenced to long prison terms if caught.
