Pubdate: Sun, 12 Jan 2003
Source: Mississauga News (CN ON)
Copyright: The Mississauga News 2003
Contact:  http://www.mississauganews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/268
Author: Louie Rosella

$155 MILLION WORTH FOUND PEARSON SETS NEW RECORD FOR SEIZED DRUGS

Hundreds of planes depart from Pearson International Airport (PIA) daily, 
but RCMP and Canada Customs officials' drug seizures also soared at the 
airport this year.

Officers intercepted $155 million worth of drugs in 2002 and arrested 130 
people in connection with drug smuggling.

The dollar value is a 9 per cent decline from the $170 million seized last 
year.

Customs spokesperson Mark Butler said tonnes of narcotics were destined for 
streets in Mississauga.

"We are consistently keeping more and more drugs off the streets," he said 
recently. "If these drugs and perpetrators pass through, Mississauga could 
be most affected because it houses the airport."

While dismantling the drug operations is a more complex task, Butler said 
the main goal is being accomplished.

"In a lot of cases, we just catch the courier of the drugs, and not the 
actual masterminds or sellers," he said. "But the point is we're taking 
away the drugs -- what these criminals profit from and use to harm various 
communities."

Cocaine accounted for about 65 per cent of the drugs seized. Other 
notables, said Butler, were marijuana, hash, heroin and ecstasy.

More than $144 million worth of drugs was seized from arriving passengers, 
while the rest was found hidden in cargo and packages.

Along with the seizures came some rather bizarre smuggling attempts this 
year, which included:

a 28-year-old female, travelling with her one-year-old son, tried to 
smuggle more than two kilograms of cocaine in a pair of fake buttocks in 
August;

a 48-year-old male , arriving from Amsterdam in July, tried to sneak in 
more than 21,000 ecstasy pills by stuffing them in the bicycle shorts he 
was wearing;

a 32-year-old male passenger, who lost his leg in a car crash years ago, 
tried to smuggle a kilo of cocaine in his false leg after arriving from 
Jamaica in July;

and dozens of foiled attempts to smuggle cocaine by using the ends of 
condoms to stash the cocaine pellets, tie them shut, and swallow them.

"We've seen it all here at the airport," said Butler. "But every time we 
say that, someone comes up with another original, never-been-done-before idea."

RCMP Sgt. Gary Harvey said Pearson, which saw more than 1,400 drug seizures 
this year, has the busiest drug squad in Canada.

"Pearson is definitely a major hub for drug smuggling and more drugs are 
seized there than any other airport in Canada," he said.
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