Pubdate: Thu, 08 Aug 2013
Source: Packet, The (CN NF)
Copyright: 2013 Transcontinental Media
Contact:  http://www.thepacket.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4041
Author: Barbara Dean-Simmons

POINT OF ENTRY

Earlier this week, the federal government indicated it would be 
stepping up security on the VIA rail system, in the wake of bomb plot 
earlier this year.

Now, anyone who wants to travel on VIA Rail, will be subject to 
security checks equivalent to the standard at any major airport in Canada.

Since we're on the subject of national security, it's time for the 
Canadian government to also review other transportation systems where 
security is lacking, or non-existent; such as the Marine Atlantic ferries.

Throughout the year, thousands of people, vehicles and baggage make 
the journey from Newfoundland to Canada, and vice versa, via the Gulf 
crossing from Port aux Basques to North Sydney.

While the federal government may think it's just an inter-provincial 
transportation route, it is in fact, a little more than that, as 
history has shown.

It has been, in fact, and quite likely could still be, the entry 
point to Canada for drug smugglers.

Some people may remember the events of 1987. For those who may not, 
here's the refresh.

This province garnered national headlines that year after RCMP 
arrested several people and seized tons of hashish in this province. 
The drugs had been smuggled from Asia and Europe and offloaded into 
abandoned communities in Trinity Bay. From there it was shipped by 
smaller boats to shore, loaded onto transport trucks and driven to 
the ferry terminals to get to mainland Canada and distribution 
throughout Canada and the US.

Montreal crime boss Vitto Rizzuto and several others were arrested. 
On an autumn day in 1987 the RCMP made their move - after several 
months of undercover work -seizing $225 million (street value) worth 
of hashish.

Most of it was found stored in Ireland's Eye, an abandoned community 
just a short boat ride from Trinity.

They also intercepted a transport truck near Gander that same day, 
loaded with hashish, bound for the ferry in Port aux Basques.

While it might sound daring to try to drive a tractor-trailer loaded 
with drugs onto a federally-operated ferry, it wasn't.

There were not - and still aren't - any customs-like spot checks in 
place for vehicles and people boarding the ferries in Port aux 
Basques or Argentia.

The driver of a vehicle is only required to show ID.

Walk-on passengers aren't required to show ID and there are only very 
random and sporadic spot-checks of baggage carried by walk-on passengers.

Passenger vehicles are hardly ever checked for contents. Transport 
trucks are hardly ever held up for a thorough inspection.

The criminals who masterminded the drug run from Ireland's Eye to 
mainland Canada saw the ferry system as a non-existent risk - a 
smooth sail if you like - to get their illegal goods into Canada and the US.

Unbelievably, in the wake of the Ireland's Eye drug bust and the 
evidence that pointed to Newfoundland being a strategic point of 
entry for illegal drugs, the federal government did absolutely 
nothing to beef up security or travel protocol to the ferry system.

And organized crime, despite the loss of millions of dollars worth of 
hashish from Ireland's Eye, continued to do business from Newfoundland.

Two years after Ireland's Eye, the RCMP scored another point against 
drug runners when they busted up another operation.

Once again the smugglers were using abandoned communities on 
Newfoundland's north east coast as the landing points for drugs, 
bringing the hashish by boat to Little Heart's Ease for loading onto 
transport trucks.

Once again, the ferry run from Port aux Basques to North Sydney was 
the point of entry for the drugs bound for Canadian and US markets.

There haven't been many drugs seized from ferry travellers since then.

But that doesn't mean the ferry system has ceased to be a smugglers highway.

With only sporadic luggage checks, only a passing glance at the IDs 
of drivers, and no RCMP or sniffer dog presence at the port or on 
board the ferry, there is no way of knowing how much of what is 
entering Canada via North Sydney.

If the Canadian government considers it wise to beef up security for 
the VIA rail system to ensure passenger safety and national security, 
surely it will take the next logical step and apply the same security 
protocols for the Marine Atlantic system.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom