BORDER GUARD BUSTED WITH 90KG OF POT

Smuggler Claims He Was Forced To Carry Drugs By Indo-Canadian Gang

A Canadian Customs officer busted for smuggling pot says he was forced
to do it by an Indo-Canadian gang that threatened to hurt his family.

Altaf Merali, 37, of Surrey was arrested at the Pacific Highway
crossing with more than 90 kilograms of marijuana worth an estimated
$680,000 US, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in
Seattle.

Merali pulled up at the border on Tuesday in a 1992 GMC Safari, with
his uniform hanging in the rear window, according to the court papers.

As he approached the inspection booth, Merali "flashed his Canadian
Customs badge" and said he was coming to visit the director for U.S.
Customs and Border Protection.

But a random computer selection picked Merali's van for a secondary
examination. A U.S. Customs officer promised to do it as quickly as
possible.

Before Merali had finished filling in a written baggage declaration,
he asked to speak privately with the officer and in a private office
confessed to transporting the pot.

He said that last November he was approached by a neighbour and a man
named Sam who wanted him to smuggle "'dope' south and 'coke' north
across the border," the court documents say.

There were two previous arrangements to smuggle pot, but Merali said
he backed out both times because he was scared.

"Sam told Merali that he could not back out of this arrangement
because he was in too deep," said the court papers. "Sam also told him
that if he kept backing out of deals, the people in the organization
would hurt Merali's family."

Merali claimed Tuesday's run was the first time he had brought pot
across the border.

He told authorities he would co-operate and led them to Jason Dean
Smith, 20, of Stanwood, Wash.

Smith was arrested later on Tuesday when Merali brought investigators
to a McDonald's Restaurant near Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham.

Merali said Sam had told him to meet a man wearing a red baseball cap.
Merali was to give him a key to his van so he could take the pot.

Smith, who matched the description, was arrested after taking a key
from Merali and trying to get into the van, according to the court
documents.

Smith said he had transported pot on four previous occasions and was
paid $1,000 US for each trip.

Merali and Smith are each charged with possession with intent to
distribute marijuana, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of
five years in the U.S.

Canada Border Services Agency spokeswoman Paula Shore would not
comment on how long Merali has been an employee. She would not say if
he is still on the payroll or what his employment status is.

This is not the first time a border guard allegedly has been involved
in smuggling pot.

U.S. border guard Cory Whitfield, 35, tried to drive a van filled with
more than 240 kilograms of pot from B.C. into Washington last
September and was sentenced in February to five years in prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez noted that Whitfield tried
"to use his special status to get through the border with minimal
intrusion."

He flashed a diplomatic passport and said "I'm one of us" to get
through the border.

Merali and Smith are in custody and are scheduled to appear in court
in Seattle on Monday for a bail hearing.