Terri Leanne Maxwell, age 48, a registered nurse from Amherstburg, Ontario, was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute, and importing more than 100 pounds of marijuana into the United States from Canada. According to the criminal complaint, on April 22, 2020, at the Detroit Ambassador Bridge, Maxwell applied for admission into the United States and presented her Canadian passport and work permit under the Trade NAFTA agreement, showing she had valid status to work as a registered nurse. Maxwell also had a placard issued by Canada Border Services Agency showing she is a first responder, as a healthcare worker. The placards were implemented to give inspecting officers awareness of the travelers’ essential reason for crossing the border. CBP officers had Maxwell open her trunk for an enforcement exam and noticed that the trunk was full and that there was an odor of marijuana emanating from the trunk. Upon further inspection officers found 143 vacuum sealed bags of suspected marijuana with a total weight of approximately 153.69 pounds.
