Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jan 2001
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2001 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:  1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg Manitoba R2X 3B6
Fax: (204) 697-7288
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Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Author: Leah Janzen

HIGH-TECH X-RAY SPOTS HASH OIL

Two Woman Arrested In $678,000 Drug Bust

HIGH-TECH X-ray equipment that can bore deeper and more precisely into 
cargo helped Canada Customs agents uncover a huge stash of drugs hidden in 
bags of coffee and hollowed-out loaves of bread at Winnipeg International 
Airport early Sunday.

Officers uncovered nearly 17 kilograms of hashish oil -- worth $678,000 on 
the street -- in luggage belonging to two Saskatchewan women who were 
returning home to Canada on a regularly scheduled flight from Jamaica.

"This is the largest seizure of hash oil in Manitoba history,'' said Harry 
Troche, spokesman for Canada Customs. "And it ranks among the largest of 
all drug seizures ever made in the province."

Troche said the two women were stopped for a customs check as they got off 
the plane from Jamaica in the early hours of Sunday morning.

They were then referred for a second inspection where their bags were 
X-rayed and agents discovered packages of hash oil hidden in sealed bags of 
coffee and filling the centre of numerous loaves of hollowed out flatbread.

Suspicious items

"We've been able to use X-ray technology for years,'' said Troche. "But 
we've recently acquired new equipment that is state-of-the-art and it was 
useful in this case."

Troche said the Winnipeg airport acquired the new equipment to help ensure 
security during the 1999 Pan Am Games. And the equipment has been upgraded 
since then and can see deeper into luggage and detect suspicious items more 
clearly.

RCMP Sgt. Steve Saunders said investigators are working to determine where 
the drugs were headed and to figure out whether the women were working 
alone or were bringing the drugs into the country for others.

Last year, Canada Customs seized $900 million worth of drugs across the 
country. The largest seizures were made at airports with direct connections 
to drug centres like South America and southeast Asia.

Georgina McLeod, 41, and Barbara Gonzales, 33, both face charges of 
possession of cannabis resin for the purpose of trafficking, importation of 
cannabis resin and conspiracy to import cannabis resin under the controlled 
drugs and substances act.

The women made a brief appearance in court yesterday and were released 
pending their next court date.
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