A Minnesota man has been fined $1,500 for trying to smuggle in illegal bait into Ontario.
Carl Brandt of Forest Lake was caught at the Fort Frances border crossing back in June attempting to bring live leeches into the province.
Canada Border Services Agency officers found two plastic bags filled with four pounds of live leeches during a search of his vehicle.
The importation of live bait is illegal, because it can potentially introduce invasive species to local waterways and transmit parasites and viruses not native to Ontario.
