Canadian Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle 142 Kilograms of Cocaine

UTICA, NEW YORK – Guillaume Latour-Laitre, age 27, of Prevost, Quebec, was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison for conspiring to traffic 142 kilograms of cocaine. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

Latour-Laitre previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  In doing so, he admitted that from November 2019 through December 7, 2019, as vice president of a commercial trucking company in Quebec, he trafficked cocaine from the United States to Canada via tractor trailer. On December 7, 2019, Latour-Laitre’s co-conspirator and employee at the trucking company, Jason Nelson, attempted to leave the United States for Canada at the Derby Line, Vermont Port of Entry.  At the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers performed an outbound inspection on Nelson’s tractor trailer and discovered approximately 142 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment in the trailer.  Latour-Laitre was extradited from Canada in December 2022 to face the charges.

Nelson was sentenced, on April 27, 2022, to 72 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release.

United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a 5-year term of supervised release, which will start when Latour-Laitre is released from prison. Upon his release from prison, Latour-Laitre may be removed/deported from the United States.

HSI and CBP investigated the case and Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Collyer prosecuted the case.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Latour-Laitre.