BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross has announced the arrest of Bashir Kasozi, 41, of Ontario, Canada, who was charged with the importation of morphine and possession with intent to distribute a morphine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
“On the evening of August 23, 2024, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Lewiston Bridge Port of Entry encountered a commercial truck with Ontario plates being driven by Kasozi,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Richard Antoine in the complaint. “During the outbound inspection, Kasozi told a CBP Officer that he was in the United States for three days, coming from Massachusetts with a load of paper. Asked if he had anything to declare, to include prescription or nonprescription narcotics, currency over $10,000, weapons of any kind, or if anyone else was in the vehicle with him, Kasozi stated no.”
According to the complaint, Kasozi was then referred for secondary inspection. A scan of the truck detected an anomaly in the nose of the trailer by the front wall. A subsequent search of that area revealed a skid of 62 brown taped packages. One of the boxes was searched and found to contain a smaller gold box with a glass vial inside. The glass vials were found to contain morphine.
Kasozi made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Romer and was held pending a detention hearing on September 4.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
A defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
