Pubdate: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Ethan Baron, The Province HEROIN WAS CONCEALED IN WEDDING PICTURES Border agents at the Vancouver airport discovered that a female traveller's pictures from a wedding in India were framed with heroin, officials said. Contraband-detection equipment revealed that 18 wood-framed photos, and false sides of two suitcases, were packed with 11.5 kilograms of the drug. Organized crime is behind the smuggling attempt, police said. "An investigation will be international in scope, to try to determine where these drugs came from," said RCMP Const. Alex Borden of the Border Integrity Unit. The suspect was returning to Vancouver from a trip to India, officials said. "The photos were what we would describe as typical wedding/bridal party photos," said Canada Border Services Agency spokeswoman Paula Shore. "They were taken on the trip." The heroin had been stashed between the large photos and the frame backing, Shore said. "Then the entire piece was shellacked, it was covered over to sort of seal the whole thing." Shore would not reveal exactly who was in the pictures or what prompted border agents to go over them with detection equipment. "Our officers are well trained to notice inconsistencies, and they did," Shore said. "It's never just one thing." Kamaljit Kaur Dyal, a Surrey woman in her 40s, has been charged with smuggling heroin and possessing the drug for trafficking. She remains in police custody and is scheduled to appear in court Friday. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek