BORDER GUARDS' IMAGE TAKES BLOW

The arrest of a Canadian border guard on charges related to cocaine
trafficking has raised questions about the Canadian Border Services
Agency's ability to prevent corruption within its ranks, the RCMP said
yesterday. James Munro, 26, of Hemmingford, worked as a customs
officer at the Lacolle border crossing for about five years.

He was arrested Sunday on charges involving corruption and drug
trafficking after a year-long investigation into a conspiracy to
import between 300 and 500 kilograms of Colombian cocaine - worth as
much as $20 million - of Colombian cocaine into Canada via the United
States.

According to the RCMP, Munro appeared in St. Jean sur Richelieu court
Monday and was held in custody without entering a plea. He will appear
for a bail review tomorrow.

Six other people from Quebec and New Brunswick, none of whom are
customs officers, were charged with drug trafficking, conspiracy and
gangsterism. The RCMP has issued warrants for three other Quebecers
who police suspect are still in Colombia.

According to Andre Potvin, head of the RCMP's drug trafficking
division, a sting operation fed 51 kilograms of cocaine into Canada
through the same network after the original shipment was aborted
because of a supply shortage in Colombia.

"Once (the drugs) got to the ... Lacolle border crossing, we knew
exactly when we needed to go through," Potvin said.

"After one or two o'clock in the morning, there's only one booth
that's open, and they needed to go through when that particular person
is working."

Potvin said the customs officer was offered about $20,000 to allow
people into Canada with drugs. The scheme raises concerns about the
border protection agency's ability to prevent corruption in the
future, Potvin said.

Bernard Brie, executive director of the Canadian Border Services
Agency, acknowledged those concerns, but struggled to provide specific
examples of actions the agency is taking to tackle the issue. "The
ethics of the job" are reinforced daily, and staff are encouraged to
tell management if asked to participate in criminal behaviour, he said.

Potential border officers must pass a screening process that includes
a psychological evaluation and security checks - but it's not always
enough, Brie said.