U.S., CANADA BOTH WORKING COCAINE CASE

The case of the Western Wind, a fishing trawler carrying the largest load
of cocaine ever seized in the Northwest, was kicked up to Canada for
prosecution. But a recently filed U.S. Customs agent's affidavit shows the
case also remains active south of the border.

Earlier this month, agents got federal-court permission to copy data off
the hard drive on a personal computer found aboard the ship. The affidavit
states the crew was using coded e-mail to communicate with a coke supplier
and those who were to unload the drugs. E-mail addresses, which could be
useful in locating suspects, were in the affidavit.

Yesterday, the Seattle-based U.S. Customs agent in charge acknowledged the
case remains active here. He was mildly upset that the search warrant and
affidavit were not filed under seal.

"There is a U.S. aspect of this that's still alive," said Rodney Tureaud,
the agent in charge. "No arrests are imminent at this point."

Five men were arrested Feb. 21 aboard the fishing boat in the Strait of
Juan de Fuca.

Four of the five were Canadian citizens and were held under immigration
laws rather than on criminal charges. The fifth, a Native American who had
U.S. citizenship, was briefly held as a material witness.

The four Canadians were returned to Canada, where no charges have been
filed, Grant Learned, spokesman for the Royal Mounted Canadian Police, said
yesterday.

Though they are not in custody, "that doesn't mean we don't know where they
are," Learned said.

"Our investigation is still ongoing. We are confident (this scheme) was
part of an organized criminal organization based in Canada, and it is our
interest to pursue this to the highest possible rung in that ladder."

In the affidavit filed in federal court in Seattle, Customs agent Donald
Bambenek wrote that when he boarded the Western Wind, he found 101 bundles
of cocaine weighing more than two tons. The drugs, with an estimated street
value of $30 million to $40 million, were apparently destined for Canada,
which figured in the decision to transfer the case there.

"A search of the vessel revealed notes in the Captain's quarters which
outline how to transmit and receive coded e-mail messages," the affidavit
states. "The Captain (told Bambenek) that e-mail was his only method of
communication with the supplier of cocaine and the offloaders."

The notes found in the quarters included three e-mail names.

Yesterday, Bambenek's boss, Tureaud, said the crew was connecting to the
Internet wirelessly the same as consumers might with a Palm Pilot.

Though he has no connection to the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve
Schroeder, an expert in crimes committed in cyberspace, said Internet
e-mail addresses can be useful in locating or at least getting close to
suspects. Still, authorities can run into a dead end if the suspect's
Internet service provider is located in a foreign country, he said.

The Western Wind was registered in Canada when it was stopped in the Strait
of Juan de Fuca by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. U.S. authorities had been
alerted to the ship around Christmas. "We had specific, hard intelligence
about this craft, and we passed it on," according to a Canadian
law-enforcement official who last month described the case as "extremely
sensitive."