POLICE NEED COURTS' SUPPORT

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, there is a strong link
between the seemingly harmless crime of cigarette smuggling and the
much more lethal illegal drug trafficking industry.

This is not fresh news.

In the 1990s, when cigarette smugglers were making millions of dollars
feeding the Canadian blackmarket with cheap, untaxed smokes, organized
crime was identified as a silent partner.

But organized crime is much more involved these days. The Mounties
have identified 105 organized crime groups that have set up shop in
this region. At least 65 are involved in drug trafficking.

It is a mindboggling number.

Organized crime, especially the violent bikers, and drugs are a
natural marriage. Little wonder police report a rapid growth in the
number of marijuana grow-ups in this region.

Canadian police agencies are doing a commendable job in the fight
against the drug and cigarette smuggling operations in the Cornwall
area. But they are not winning.

The illegal cigarette factories on the U.S. side of Akwesasne continue
to flood the Canadian market. They are not in danger of having to
cutback on production.

Police acknowledge that their record seizures of late are only the tip
of the iceberg.

Increased police resources would help, but it's not the
answer.

What's needed is more support from our weak-kneed court system. For
smugglers nabbed in Canada, soft sentences are treated like paying
taxes.

It's not that way on the U.S. side, where the courts take a hardline
when sentencing smugglers, particular when illegal drugs are involved.

It's called throwing the book at them, and it's what we need more of.