Men accused of smuggling cannabis from Okanagan in logs face extradition, again

OTTAWA – Three British Columbia men who allegedly tried to smuggle marijuana into the United States in hollowed-out logs almost 20 years ago are facing extradition again, and Canada's highest court will not intervene.

The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear appeal applications from Todd Ferguson, Daniel Joinson and Shane Fraser.

They are accused of shipping pot-packed logs from the Okanagan and Shuswap regions to California in 2006 to supply a log home manufacturing business that California officials claim was actually a drug distribution hub.

The men argued their charter rights were breached when certain wiretap evidence was allowed at trial, but the B.C. Court of Appeal rejected that defence in 2021 and ordered Ferguson, Joinson and Fraser extradited.

Similar arguments in the same case were made to Canada's highest court six years ago but it refused an application from U.S. officials who hoped to appeal a B.C. ruling that overturned the men's 2015 extradition order and sent the matter back to B.C. Supreme Court for a second trial.

As is customary, the Supreme Court of Canada did not give reasons for its decision.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2023.