Border Smuggling Ring Uncovered | Edmonton News

Edmonton News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 3, 2026 · 2m

Federal prosecutors stunned the nation with arrests of three dual U.S.-Canadian citizens in a brazen cross-border meth-for-guns operation centered in the Mohawk territory of Akwesasne. The trio—Basil Lazore, Michael Arquette, and Patricia Ransom—face life sentences and massive fines for conspiring to smuggle meth into the U.S. in exchange for firearms, fueling both drug epidemics and gun violence. This unprecedented joint operation, involving U.S. and Canadian federal, state, tribal, and local agencies, exposed a dangerous smuggling network exploiting border vulnerabilities. Authorities…