Canadian trucking exec sentenced for trafficking cocaine in New York

Guillaume Latour-Laitre, a 27-year-old vice president of a Quebec-based trucking company, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle 142 kilograms of cocaine from the United States to Canada.

The sentencing, announced by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Homeland Security Investigations’ Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino, comes after Latour-Laitre’s guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

The investigation revealed that between November and December 2019, Latour-Laitre utilized his position in the trucking company to facilitate the illicit drug trafficking operation. The scheme unraveled when Jason Nelson, an employee of Latour-Laitre’s company, was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Derby Line, Vermont Port of Entry. Approximately 142 kilograms of cocaine were found concealed in a hidden compartment of his tractor-trailer. Nelson, who was sentenced in April 2022 to 72 months in prison, was attempting to cross into Canada when the discovery was made.

Following his prison term, Latour-Laitre faces a 5-year supervised release and potential deportation from the United States. The case was investigated jointly by HSI and CBP, with Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Collyer leading the prosecution. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs played a significant role in Latour-Laitre’s arrest and extradition from Canada.