A 47-year-old woman, who served as a Punjabi-language radio and television presenter in Canada for a decade, has received a 5.5-year prison term for attempting to bring methamphetamine across the border from the United States in 2021.
Sukhvinder Kaur Sangha admitted guilt to drug importation charges. Authorities valued the seized substances, totaling 108 kilograms, between $1 million and $10 million.
According to her defense, Sangha acted under duress to settle a $150,000 debt, as an individual threatened harm to her teenage son. Her attorney requested a maximum of two years under house arrest followed by three years of probation, while the prosecution pushed for a 10- to 12-year sentence.
On October 18, 2021, Sangha crossed the border in Surrey using a rental vehicle with Florida plates. She presented her Canadian passport and claimed she had traveled to Washington state for a family funeral. When instructed to stop for inspection, she accelerated away.
Pursuing officers eventually halted her. A search revealed duffel bags filled with methamphetamine, along with two smartphones and a wiped tablet.
Records show Sangha made three prior trips to the United States that year in August, September, and October, though it remains unclear if drugs were involved in those instances.
Born in Prince George, Sangha trained as a pharmacy technician before transitioning to media. She hosted programs interviewing public figures, law enforcement, and entertainers, and advocated against youth involvement in crime and narcotics. As a single parent to three children, she also cares for her elderly mother, who is 78 and ill.
The prosecution argued that lenient penalties could encourage criminal organizations to exploit similar individuals, expecting minimal consequences upon detection.
