B.C. POT FLOODING U.S.

Yank Cops Want More Cash To Plug Border

U.S. drug cops say the Hells Angels and Vietnamese mobs are exploiting
every weakness along the border to smuggle British Columbia weed into the
lucrative American market.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said B.C. pot growers are
air-dropping tons of dope into the U.S. for dealers there to gather and sell.

Traffickers are using Zodiac boats, fishing vessels and aircraft to smuggle
in the dope, according to a DEA intelligence report. "The U.S.-Canada
border consists of vast remote areas with residences and farms," the agency
said. "In some areas the border is delineated only by a narrow trench."

The DEA said marijuana grown by the billion-dollar-a-year B.C. industry is
flooding the U.S. and is asking for more manpower and resources from both
countries to tackle the problem.

The DEA said Vietnamese gangs and the Hells are behind the distribution of
the pot, which sells for $8,000 in New York, compared to $2,000 in Vancouver.

The report said duffel bags filled with dope are literally thrown across
the border in remote areas for others to pick up and sell. "Several
U.S.-based marijuana trafficking organizations are exploiting the vast
U.S.-Canada border," the report says. "They are using B.C. as a hub of
operations."

It says traffickers are packing tractor-trailers full with marijuana. These
are then driven east to enter the U.S. at remote crossings. Police estimate
there are 3,000 hydroponic greenhouses in B.C.

In 1999, Canadian police seized 4,200 kilos while U.S. Customs confiscated
6,000 kilos.