CANADIAN BORDER GUARD CHARGED IN DRUG BUST

SURREY - Shortly after midnight Thursday, waiting police officers
watched their target, a Canada border guard, wave two identical GMC
suburbans past his post at the Pacific Highway Crossing.

Moments later, the police swooped down on the two drivers -- and
found a shipment of 208 kilograms of cocaine, worth $6 million
wholesale, plus three handguns and ammunition in one of the vehicles.

The takedown was the culmination of a 13-month investigation by RCMP
E Division officers and the Canada Border Services Agency. The probe
was sparked by a tip that a border guard had allegedly been allowing
vehicles carrying contraband to cross unexamined.

Baljinder Kandola, a 35-year-old Surrey resident and a border guard
for six years, faces six criminal charges: importing cocaine into
Canada, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession for the purpose of
trafficking, importing a restricted firearm, breach of trust and bribery.

Shminder Johal, 34, and Herman Riar, 26, both of Richmond -- face
four criminal charges: importing cocaine, possession for the purpose
of trafficking, conspiracy to import cocaine and importing a
restricted firearm.

The police said they later found $200,000 in Johal's residence.

RCMP Insp. Dan Malo of E Division's border integrity section, said at
a press conference Friday that "the evidence supports the belief that
Mr. Kandola previously arranged with Mr. Johal safe passage through
the port of entry at this specific time."

Malo said the conspiracy was part of an effort by organized crime to
bring cocaine into the Lower Mainland. "Nobody in Canada imports this
quantity of cocaine without being involved with organized crime."

The police are unaware of how long the three men have known each
other, Malo said. "We just know that during these last 13 months,
they knew each other very well."

None of the three men had previous criminal records.

Kim Scoville, Pacific Highway District director of the Canada Border
Services Agency, told reporters that he had mixed feelings about the
probe into Kandola's activities. "It was a successful investigation.
Unfortunately, one of our officers was a key figure."

Scoville said Kandola had previously passed a "reliability check"
which is compulsory for all border guards.

He added that "this is an incident involving a single officer and
does not diminish the pride and confidence that we have in the men
and women of the Canada Border Services Agency."

The CBSA has been hit by controversy in recent months. Public Safety
Minister Stockwell Day earlier this month launched an investigation
into the online postings of recruits training in Quebec to become
border guards.

CBC News had revealed that recruits had posted photographs of
themselves drinking while in uniform, called Prime Minister Stephen
Harper a serial killer, and referred to French-Canadians as "f---ing
bastards," on Facebook.

Meanwhile, a former CBSA officer, Daniel Greenhalgh, was charged
recently with three counts of sexual assault.

He is accused of inappropriately strip-searching an 18-year-old woman
in a public washroom at the Douglas border crossing, where he worked.