CANADIAN NARCOTICS OFFICIAL IN DRUG CHARGE

Held In Dubai Over 0.6 Grams Of Hashish

UNITED NATIONS - A Dubai court will rule on Tuesday on drug charges
against a Canadian anti-narcotics official who was returning to
Canada after his latest tour in Afghanistan helping farmers find
alternatives to poppy cultivation.

Helena Guergis, the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs, is among
those who have praised Bert Tatham for his work, and Canadian
officials and others say privately he is a victim of circumstance.

Prosecutors accuse Mr. Tatham, 35, of carrying 0.6 grams of hashish
- -- an almost trace amount that his lawyers say had inadvertently
become attached to his clothing because of the nature of his work.

Dubai authorities also found Mr. Tatham in possession of two
two-year-old dried poppy flowers, which have no use in the production
of opium or heroin, and said tests showed he had traces of narcotics
in his blood.

Dubai is a common transit hub for people travelling between North
America and Afghanistan, but is also notorious among the seven United
Arab Emirates for having zero tolerance toward drug possession.

Canada has good relations with the Dubai government, and Mr. Tatham's
family say they agree with advice they have received from Canadian
officials to remain patient while the court process plays out.

"Out of respect for the judicial system in Dubai,

we have tried not to interfere, and provided all the documentation
and letters of reference that they've asked for," Chuck Tatham,
Bert's brother, said from Toronto.

"We're waiting until they work through it, and hoping they will come
to the right decision, which is that he was not intentionally doing
something wrong."

But with Mr. Tatham facing a typical sentence of at least four years
in prison if convicted on counts of possession of narcotic
substances, and possession in order to distribute them, the family is
preparing to launch a campaign for his release if he is convicted.

"I'm on the computer all day, and we're working like crazy for him,"
said Mr. Tatham's mother, Louise, from his parent's home in
Collingwood, just north of Toronto.

"We have to respect their laws, [but] if he is convicted we'll then
start with publicity because we have to get him out."

Mr. Tatham, originally trained as a satellite photo specialist, had
spent several years in Afghanistan, working first for the United
Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, more recently for a contractor
with the U.S. State Department.

He was returning to his home in Vancouver in late April to join his
fiancee in Victoria and plan their marriage.

Arrested as he tried to pass through Dubai, he remains in detention
in the emirate.

"He's been allowed some calls to us, and we have a family friend in
Dubai who has visited him," said Chuck, 39.

Canadian consular officials have also been in contact with Mr.
Tatham, delivering him reading materials and helping him find a lawyer.

"We note that they have moved reasonably quickly in this case," Chuck
said. "And how can you not respect the intolerance for drugs that they have?

"But this is a guy who was extremely committed to what he was doing.
He took his job extremely seriously and has a lot of benefit to offer
the world. And yet, because of bad luck and perhaps some error in
judgment [in carrying the dried flowers], he is stuck there."

Mr. Tatham's father, Charlie, runs an engineering-consulting business
in Collingwood, which is within the Simcoe-Grey riding of Ms. Guergis.

Her letter to Mr. Tatham in January, saying she respected his work
and hoped she could meet up with him during her visit to Afghanistan,
was read in court as evidence of his dedication to his job.

The UN and Afghan officials have submitted additional letters of praise.

"Mr. Tatham is a highly respected poppy eradication expert, and this
is truly a situation of wrong place, wrong time, " said one Canadian
official closely involved in the file, but who asked not to be
identified because of the sensitivity of commenting on an ongoing
court proceeding.

"They say his blood shows traces of narcotic. Well, of course it did.
He was involved in poppy eradication and burning tons of it every day."

Mr. Tatham's lawyer, Saeed Al Gailani, said as much in court this
week. He also said Mr. Tatham had been taking the dried poppy flowers
to Canada "for experiments," while Chuck speculated his brother
planned to use them as props in lectures he had been invited to give.

Chuck expressed no surprise, meanwhile, that hashish traces ended up
attached to his brother's clothes.

"He laundered his clothes and was fastidious, but the stuff is
everywhere," he said. "People would give him some after meetings, and
to avoid being discourteous, he would accept it, and dispose of it later.

"But he was not a user. He has observed the evils of drugs --and he
has spoken to me a number of times about the devastation they have
caused in the region."

A request for comment from His Excellency Hassan Al-Suwaidi, U.A.E.
ambassador to Canada, went unanswered yesterday.

A three-judge panel will decide Mr. Tatham's fate. One government
source said there is some evidence prosecution went ahead initially
because of communication problems due to language differences.

"Their rules are very strict," said the source. "You can just see him
now banging his head and saying, 'How can this be happening?' "

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed a "Canadian citizen" is
being held in Dubai, and said Canada was offering consular services.