JUDGE FINDS NINE PEOPLE GUILTY IN BIGGEST HASH BUST IN B.C. HISTORY

Nine people were found guilty yesterday in the biggest hashish bust in B.C.
history. Police seized 12 tonnes of hash worth an estimated $100 million on
board two ships in November 1998.

The long, complex case that started in April 2001 wrapped up in Vancouver
Provincial Court to a packed gallery before Judge Elizabeth Arnold, who
issued a 256-page ruling. The case featured 344 exhibits and 103 witnesses.

The evidence presented and the police work used to bust the ring of nine,
including a woman, reads like a whodunit.

The RCMP's Vancouver drug squad launched "Project E-Profit" after receiving
a tip from someone involved with the Mounties' Coastal Watch program in
early spring 1997.

A suspicious group from B.C. was in Yarmouth, N.S., pouring money into the
Blue Dawn, an aging, 30-metre scallop dragger. Massive new fuel tanks and a
general overhaul didn't make financial sense.

There could only be one explanation -- drugs.

The tip led to a massive, 20-month investigation involving 150 officers,
including manpower from the RCMP, Canada Customs, the Canadian Armed Forces,
U.S. Customs, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the
Internal Revenue Service and law-enforcement agencies in Europe and the
Middle East.

By the fall of 1997, the RCMP had set up surveillance on a number of people
who they believed were conspiring to smuggle drugs.

And in August 1997, the RCMP Vancouver Island District Drug Section, acting
on a separate tip, launched a separate investigation dubbed "Project
E-Paiute" against several people they suspected were plotting to off-load
hashish in the future. The investigations merged in October 1998.

Extensive wiretaps and surveillance were launched, although no private
conversations were used in court.

RCMP tracked the Blue Dawn to Chania, Crete, where it was docked in December
1997. Acting with Greek authorities, they managed to hide a satellite
tracking device on the ship in January.

The RCMP were then able to track the Blue Dawn as it sailed to Sri Lanka and
on to Phuket, Thailand. It then backtracked and was "dead in the water" for
a number of hours near Indonesia. It travelled through the Strait of
Malacca, past Singapore and then on a direct route toward B.C.

Using the signal from the satellite tracking device, the ship was picked up
by Canadian Armed Forces Aurora aircraft from 407 Squadron in Comox on Oct.
26, 1998. The aircraft flew some 24 missions, providing almost continuous
surveillance.

Two days later, a crew aboard an Aurora watched as the Blue Dawn met the
18-metre fishing vessel Ansare II about 650 nautical miles west-northwest of
Port Hardy on Vancouver Island.

An RCMP Caravan plane then took over and watched as the Ansare II steamed
away to later dock at Fanny Bay, about 170 kilometres north of Victoria.

The RCMP swooped on the Ansare II on Nov. 4, 1998, and seized 9.6 tonnes of
cannabis resin, arresting four suspects.

Meanwhile, an Aurora aircraft tracked the Blue Dawn and on Nov. 4 at 7 a.m.,
the ship was intercepted in international waters about 540 nautical miles
west-northwest of Port Hardy by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Twenty-five members of the RCMP emergency response team and two dogs boarded
the Blue Dawn and arrested two men. They seized 2.35 tonnes of cannabis
resin wrapped in Polish-labelled cookie and "Cappuccino Italiano" foil
wrappers, similar to packaging in the previous seizure.

Police said the haul was destined for Ontario and Quebec.

Extraordinarily, a ban on overtime for the Mounties was put in place Oct. 1,
so much of the work was done for free, The Province reported at the time.

"Officers involved worked an average of five weeks -- between 200 and 250
hours each -- of unpaid overtime, some away from home and families for more
than two weeks at a stretch," said the story.

In all, 14 people were arrested and charged.

Five people, mostly involved with unloading and attempting to distribute the
hash, were prosecuted in Nanaimo in 2000 on charges that brought three-to
four-year prison terms.

The nine others involved were tried separately, charged with, among other
things, nine counts relating to conspiracy to import and traffic in cannabis
resin:

- - Sanford Hately, the captain and owner of the Blue Dawn. Guilty on five
counts.

- - Joel Hately, Sanford's twin brother, involved in the "communications and
co-ordination of the operation." Guilty on two counts.

- - Kurt Guilbride, planned and recruited others for the off-load. Guilty on
four counts.

- - Ronald Grant, the sole crew member on the Blue Dawn. Guilty on one count.

- - Sylvie Goyer, the communications link between the import group and the
off-load group. Guilty on four counts.

- - Ronald Thomson, involved in planning. Guilty on four counts.

- - Kenneth Thomson, Ronald's brother, acted as a supervisor. Guilty on two
counts.

- - Richard Farrington, planner. Guilty on two counts.

- - Wolfgang Fitznar, co-ordinated the delivery of the drugs. Guilty on four
counts. Fitznar recently fled the country while on bail.

Arnold reserved sentencing. The accused are out on bail.