Canadian Man Sentenced For Smuggling More Than $5 Million Worth Of “molly” Into The United States

ALBANY, NEW YORK – JOEL CUNNINGHAM, age 30, of Ottawa, Canada, was sentenced today to fourteen years in prison by United States District Court Judge Glenn T. Suddaby, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Nick DiNicola. The sentence follows CUNNINGHAM’s September 20, 2013 guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

On April 9, 2013, CUNNINGHAM was observed entering the United States from Canada through an unmanned border crossing in the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation. Members of the Border Enforcement Security Task Force in Massena, New York followed CUNNINGHAM and later stopped him. Law enforcement officers searched the sport utility vehicle driven by CUNNINGHAM and found 58,183 grams of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Hydrochloride (commonly known as “Molly”), as well as over $140K in U.S. currency, in hidden compartments and duffel bags. The street value of the substance is over $5 million. CUNNINGHAM helped load the sport utility vehicle earlier that day.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne A. Myers.