PROSECUTORS SWAP PLACES TO COMBAT DRUG RUNNERS

Two Trade Homes, Jobs for Perspective to Better Fight Drugs Crossing the
U.S.-Canadian Border

SEATTLE -- Federal prosecutors in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., recently
traded places as part of an effort to stem the smuggling of guns, drugs,
cash and illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Canadian border.

Robert Prior, director of the Federal Prosecution Service in Vancouver, and
assistant U.S. attorney Janet Freeman traded homes and work places for six
weeks. It was the first exchange of its kind between U.S. and Canadian
prosecutors, U.S. Attorney John McKay said.

Even their pets were involved.

"Janet and I traded homes," Prior said. "She brought her cats up and moved
into my home, and I kept her fish living."

A key purpose was to improve cooperation on smuggling cases, including the
traffic of potent indoor-grown marijuana known as "B.C. Bud" into the
United States and weapons and cocaine into Canada, Prior and McKay said.

"The crooks have used the border as a shield," Prior said.

Criminals "commit their offenses in one country and abscond to their home
base. They have a feeling of being protected," he said. "What we want to
work toward doing is to take away that feeling of being safe to commit
crimes in one country and abscond to the other."

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police are investigating the apparent use of drug smuggling by Islamic
terrorists to raise money, criminal justice sources on both sides of the
border told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

McKay said authorities are conducting a joint investigation of a complex
cross-border criminal enterprise but would not offer details.

He and Prior said the prosecutor exchange was designed to give each office
a closer look at the nuts and bolts of each legal system to improve the
effectiveness of joint investigations.

"We're talking about the exchange of information, documents, and we're also
talking about investigations," McKay said. "What was needed is a deeper
understanding of the procedures used by the two governments."

For example, Freeman cited the need to obtain testimony from a reluctant a
witness in Canada in time to meet speedy trial requirements.

"As you can imagine, a diplomatic process takes time because you are
involving several layers of review," Freeman said.

"Now that I'm here, I'm understanding what the Department of Justice in
Canada requires to move along these witness requests," she said.
"Hopefully, I can take a message to the prosecutors in my office."

Canadian authorities could benefit from information provided by "people
being picked up in the U.S. with a large amount of contraband," Prior said.
"What the exchange is working toward is making sure those people don't slip
through the cracks.

"I have no doubt that when something comes up and we need assistance from
the U.S. attorney in Seattle, we will get it without any hesitation."