SPOKANE, WA – A federal jury has convicted 31-year-old Jaskaran Singh of Possession with Intent to Distribute MDMA following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Singh, a native of Gujarat, India, was found guilty of attempting to transport more than 170 pounds of MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy or Molly, across the U.S.-Canada border.
United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice presided over the trial, which began on March 17, 2025. Singh is scheduled for sentencing on June 25, 2025, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. He may also be subject to removal from the United States.
According to evidence presented at trial, three individuals carrying backpacks and a suitcase crossed into the United States from Canada on April 29, 2023, near Danville, Washington. The group tripped motion sensor cameras placed by U.S. Border Patrol in a remote area approximately one-half mile west of the border crossing. Shortly after, Border Patrol agents observed a 2014 Honda Odyssey traveling along Fourth of July Creek Road, an unpaved dead-end road near the border.
Singh, who was driving the rented van, was stopped by Border Patrol agents. Visible in the vehicle’s cargo area were backpacks and a suitcase matching those carried by the three individuals. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 173.7 pounds of MDMA. Investigators later found a map of the area on Singh’s phone, along with messages instructing him on where to go and how to leave the vehicle accessible.
Testimony at trial indicated that Singh had traveled from Northern California to Washington the day before the drug seizure. He booked his flight at the last minute, rented a vehicle upon arrival in Seattle, and then drove to the location where the smuggling took place. The three unidentified individuals who carried the drugs across the border returned to Canada and were not apprehended.
Acting United States Attorney Richard Barker called the seizure one of the largest in Eastern Washington, estimating the street value of the drugs at more than $7.8 million. “Today’s guilty verdict sends a clear message that those who seek to exploit our nation’s borders by flooding our communities with dangerous controlled substances will be held accountable,” Barker said.
David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division, stated that international drug traffickers profit by distributing harmful substances. “I am gratified that we, at the Drug Enforcement Administration, can stand with our partners in the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold people like Mr. Singh accountable for their crimes,” he said.
The case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alison L. Gregoire and Dan Fruchter.
