SEIZURES DOWN A BIT AS B.C. BUD MAKES A RUN FOR THE BORDER

U.S. Authorities Nabbed 5 Tonnes Of Pot In 2004, But Concede More Gets
Through

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
high-potency marijuana entering Washington state from British Columbia
in the first 11 months of 2004 - more than double the amount 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 for the Blaine, Wash., sector.

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

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

"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," Giuliano said.

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

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