The appellant was charged with importing narcotics after marijuana was found hidden in footstools shipped from Jamaica to his home in Quebec.
The narcotics were intercepted by customs in Toronto, handed to the RCMP, and later picked up by the appellant in Mirabel.
At trial, the judge directed a verdict of acquittal, ruling that the RCMP's intervention broke the chain of possession and completed the importation before the appellant received the goods.
The Court of Appeal set aside the acquittal and ordered a new trial.
The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeal, holding that while the offence of importing is complete upon entry into the country and is not a continuing offence, the trial judge erred in directing a verdict of acquittal because there was evidence upon which a jury could convict, and the RCMP's temporary seizure was irrelevant.
