Ontario man sentenced in Detroit to 7 1/2 years in prison on federal Ecstasy-smuggling charges

Canadian man gets 7 1/2 years on smuggling charges

DETROIT — A Canadian man who tried to drive nearly 200 pounds of the drug Ecstasy, worth an estimated $6.5 million, into the United States has been sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison.

A federal judge in Detroit sentenced Joseph Bennett of Scarborough, Ontario, on Wednesday. Bennett had pleaded guilty March 9 to charges of importing Ecstasy and possession with intent to deliver.

Authorities say Bennett was arrested last year at a bridge in Port Huron.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimated the street value of the more than 275,000 pills seized from his truck at at least $6.5 million.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider says Bennett’s sentence was slightly below federal guidelines because he was a minor figure in the smuggling operation.