PORT ANGELES — Two Canadians were arrested early Monday morning by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol and Marine Interdiction agents following a short high-speed chase on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, authorities revealed today.
Agents seized eight bundles allegedly containing 547 pounds of potent “B.C. bud” marijuana.
Kyle Grayson Gadsby, 25, and Colin Charles Crowe, 26, both of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, were initially spotted by Border Patrol agents about 1:30 a.m. early Memorial Day coming ashore on a U.S. beach along state Highway 112 west of Port Angeles.
When the agents attempted to arrest the pair, Gadsby and Crowe jumped back into their boat and headed north. A Customs and Border Protection vessel intercepted the fleeing boat after a three-minute chase, according to a statement issued by the Border Patrol’s Blaine sector this afternoon.
The Blaine sector includes the North Olympic Peninsula.
The two Canadians were returned to Border Patrol agents waiting on the shore, and the Marine Interdiction agents searched and discovered the eight bundles.
Gadsby and Crowe were scheduled for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma this afternoon. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting the investigation.