BORDER GUARDS BATTLE B.C. BUD

Seized Pot Would Fill Three Tractor-Trailers

Smugglers of B.C. Bud continued their running battle with U.S. border
guards last year.

U.S. border-protection agencies seized close to five tonnes of marijuana
entering Washington state from B.C. through Whatcom County in the first 11
months of 2004, more than double the seizures typically intercepted in the
years prior to Sept. 11, 2001.

The amount -- enough pot to fill three tractor-trailers -- was down from
the 6.9 tonnes seized in 2003.

"I just think law enforcement as a whole has gotten better," said Joe
Giuliano, U.S. Border Patrol deputy chief of the Blaine sector.

"It's a combination of working smarter and having more tools in hand to
work with."

The U.S. government spent millions of dollars on securing the Whatcom
County borders after the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- adding high-tech
detention and intelligence equipment and increasing border-related jobs by
about 200.

Border Patrol agents, who patrol the areas between official ports of entry,
seized more than 2,800 kilos of pot from January through to November 2004,
up from 1,698 kilos in 2003.

Authorities suspect that pot smugglers have been scared away from the
official border crossings and are using more innovative and creative ways
to penetrate the border.

"Right after 9/11 the ports of entry saw a massive infusion of people and
technology and this discouraged the smugglers from using that methodology,"
said Giuliano.

B.C. Bud sells for about $2,200 to $3,000 US a half-kilo.

"I think we would be naive to say it's not getting here," said Giuliano.

"There's obviously a demand for the product and as long as that's there,
that demand is going to be exploited."

Border Drug Seizures

Pot accounted for the bulk of the drugs seized at the border.

Besides pot, Whatcom Country authorities seized 59 kilograms of cocaine,
400,000 tablets of ecstasy, 104 kilos of ephedrine used to make
methamphetamine, two kilos of hashish, 444 kilos of narcotics and $2.2
million US.

Recently, border guards have found large amounts of pot in a beer-delivery
truck; semi-trailers carrying live bears and packaged pine wood shavings;
and two Canadian military vehicles laden with 109 kilos of pot.