DRUG-SMUGGLER TRUCKER FACING A DECADE IN JAIL

Guilty: Surrey Man Claims He Agreed To Do The Job Because He Was
Threatened With Harm

A Surrey trucker who claimed he was forced into smuggling cocaine
after a botched attempt at hauling marijuana south will face at least
10 years in a U.S. jail.

Steve Atilla Czinege was convicted in U.S. District Court last week of
possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The 40-year-old
claimed he was forced into attempting to smuggle approximately 115
kilograms of cocaine into Canada Feb. 27, 2006, because he'd been
involved in a previous failed attempt to truck 136 kilos of marijuana
south into the U.S.

The botched attempt resulted in the truck being seized by authorities
and the loss of the drugs.

The defence argued that Czinege was threatened with harm if he didn't
comply with the later order to smuggle cocaine.

"If his statement is true, it's a perfect example of the kind of
trouble a trucker can get into," said Cpl. Norm Massie of the RCMP "E"
Division Border Integrity unit.

"You can expect threats to you and your family if you don't do [the
crime ring's] work. If you get caught and you lose the shipment, you
will be indebted to them."

Czinege was arrested at the Lynden border crossing when U.S. border
guards noticed a fuel tank on his empty rig had been altered. A search
of the tanks revealed the cocaine in three duffel bags. The drugs were
worth about $2 million.

Czinege now faces a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence, though the
length of his incarceration could change, depending on the decision of
U.S. District Judge James Robart. Sentencing is slated for May 7.

RCMP have set up a special hotline for truckers to call if they are
approached to run contraband across the border or know of other
truckers involved in the illegal activity. The number is
1-888-598-4602.