AIRPORT SECURITY TIGHTENED AFTER DRUG BUST

Supervisor Accused Of Smuggling Khat Into Canada From British
Flights

Security at Ottawa international airport has been tightened after a
ramp attendant supervisor was charged with drug smuggling.

Police said the man, whose job gives him access to baggage, is among
three facing drug trafficking charges after 1,788 bundles of khat -- a
herbal stimulant comparable to a mild cocaine or amphetamine -- were
smuggled from Britain into Canada through the airport over the past 12
months.

The joint forces investigation, which included officers from the RCMP,
Canada Border Services Agency and Ottawa police, was launched last
April after an airport employee tipped off city police to the drug
smuggling operation. It allegedly involved a worker switching marked
suitcases containing the drug, from the international to the domestic
baggage carousel to avoid Canadian customs.

The employee works for a private company, which an airport official
would not identify, that is contracted out to handle baggage.

Yesterday, Ottawa International Airport Authority vice-president of
terminal operations, Ian Bell, said new security measures have been
introduced to prevent a repeat of the smuggling operation.

While he declined to elaborate, the Citizen has learned those measures
include a barrier between the domestic and international luggage
carousels to prevent the moving of bags from one conveyor to the other.

The dismantling of the smuggling ring comes just more than a month
after a scathing Senate report that suggested security at Canada's
airports is little more than an illusion.

The report, prepared by the Senate's national security committee,
pointed out inadequate employee background checks, cargo screening and
policing were creating major security issues across the country and
recommended that airport security be transferred from Transport Canada
to Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.

Mr. Bell said Transport Canada is responsible for screening employees
prior to granting them access to restricted areas. It does not appear
that the accused, whom police identified as Abib Ige Aden, 48, has a
criminal record.

Mr. Aden, who turned himself in at the airport on Wednesday, has been
charged with conspiracy to import drugs, importation of drugs and
possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking. Mr. Aden was also
charged with theft under $5,000 after police uncovered evidence of
luggage being stolen. A second employee of the company was charged
with theft for allegedly stealing luggage, although that employee was
not affiliated with the suspected smuggling ring, police said.

Police said Abdi Muse Ibrahim, 45, of Toronto, and Osman Ismail
Hassan, 36, of Ottawa, also face charges of conspiracy to import
drugs, importation of drugs and possession of drugs for the purpose of
trafficking. They are not employees of the company.

Mr. Bell said he did not know how long Mr. Aden had been an employee
of the contracted company.

Describing the drug operation as an "international criminal
conspiracy," RCMP Supt. Mike Gaudreau said the case was concerning,
since it allegedly involved a baggage handler who "abused the
privilege of a restricted area pass."

Supt. Gaudreau acknowledged that the method used to smuggle the khat
into Canada could have been used to smuggle other more serious drugs,
or other "dangerous goods," into the country.

In total, police said they seized the drug on five occasions. The
estimated street value of the seizure is $171,290, police said.

While it appeared the drug was destined for use in the Ottawa and
Toronto areas, police said it is not known how much, if any, of the
drug was smuggled into Canada prior to police becoming aware of the
operation.

According to Supt. Gaudreau, police believe drug smugglers would have
a courier or drug mule check a piece of marked luggage containing the
khat in London before boarding the flight for Ottawa.

When the plane landed, Supt. Gaudreau said the bag containing the drug
would be removed from the international arrivals baggage carousel and
moved to the domestic arrivals carousel, eliminating the opportunity
for customs agents to inspect it.

A third person would collect the suitcase from the domestic arrivals
area while the original passenger would either report their bags lost
or claim to customs officials they never had them, said Supt. Gaudreau.

As the investigation progressed, police said the suspects would
frequently change aspects of their operation to elude
authorities.

Paul Porrior, from the Canada Border Services Agency, said that
included varying the days of the week the drug couriers would travel,
the way they booked their tickets and the gender and nationality of
the drug mules.

In some instances, police said the employee who works at the airport
removed the original luggage tags and replaced them with new ones that
indicated the bags had arrived on a flight from Toronto.

Police said at least two of the couriers were charged and found guilty
of their role in the scheme before being removed from the country.

Khat is cultivated in the horn of Africa. Chewing khat is an ancient
tradition for Somali, Ethiopian and Yemeni groups, police said. It is
not illegal in Britain, which made it easier for the smugglers to
board airplanes with it.

According to police, more than 17 tonnes of the drug was seized in
2005, a 38-per-cent increase over the previous year. That included 400
kilograms of khat concealed in a shipment of fresh-cut flowers at
Toronto's Pearson International Airport.