Statewide Blog

Around MN: Minnesota grandmother jailed in Canada over heroin mix up

Janet Goodin, left her home in Warroad, Minn., last April to play bingo up in Manitoba. It was a trip she's made many times. She has family on that side of the border.

But her last trip would be anything but routine. As Goodwin, 66, approached the border patrol stop to pay duty, she was flagged for additional screening.

"So I got up there and they pulled me over for a search," Goodin said. "I was just concerned for being late for bingo. I wasn't concerned for anything else."

When a Canadian officer asked her about some brown liquid in a bottle, Goodin said she didn't know what it was but figured it was oil. The officer asked Goodin to open it, but the lid was too tight. The agent took the bottle and according to the Winnipeg Free Press, it tested positive for alkaline which can be an indication of heroin.

Goodin was arrested, strip-searched and held in jail.

"I went into the courtroom in shackles," she said.

Canadian authorities denied her bail because a court considered her a flight risk. She never had a trial. After 12 days, jail officials released her. Apparently the test results came back negative.

Goodin talks about her ordeal in this video.

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Vermilion Dock

Lake Vermilion, Black Bay, Minnesota

By LakeVermilion1 via Flickr

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