19 SOLDIERS FROM ROYAL 22ND STONED ON GUARD FOR THEE

Urine Tests Positive. No Deployment To Afghanistan For Van Doos Linked To
Use Of Illicit Drugs

Nineteen soldiers from a single battalion of Quebec's famous Van Doos
regiment have tested positive for drug use, the military announced yesterday.

That includes 17 who had been on the eve of their deployment to the war on
terror in Afghanistan but will now be staying home.

Officials at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier near Quebec City made public
the results of urine samples from 29 soldiers from the Royal 22nd
Regiment's Third Battalion taken in a raid Monday.

Military brass announced the 17 Afghanistan-bound soldiers will be pulled
from the dangerous mission in Kabul and replaced by fully trained backups.

Capt. Mario Couture, a base spokesperson, said the military strictly
prohibits drug use at all times, but in the face of harsh conditions and
imminent danger, taking illicit substances is considered all the more serious.

"We can't afford to have troops who may be consuming drugs (but) who are
expected to be fully alert on the job - especially in a dangerous theatre
of operation like Kabul," Couture said.

Additional lab tests are being conducted to identify the drugs.

Consuming drugs is a violation of the Canadian Forces' code of conduct that
can lead to anything from a reprimand to dismissal from the military.

"It will be a case-by-case scenario," Couture said. "We might decide to
rehabilitate some people, or fire them, or charge them. There's a range of
possibilities."

Meanwhile, a separate criminal investigation by military police is
unfolding that could lead to criminal charges.

Capt. Mark Giles of the National Investigation Service said from Ottawa
that the results of the drug tests have been noted but no charges were laid
yesterday.

"The investigation is ongoing," Giles said.

Yesterday, the lab analysis of a small quantity of a suspected illicit
substance seized at CFB Valcartier Monday was not in, he said.

The investigation was sparked by a tip pointing the finger at the Van Doos'
3rd Battalion, which comprises 600 soldiers.

None of the troops who have already arrived in Afghanistan are under
suspicion, Couture said.

"Nobody that was targeted or nobody that was looked into had deployed, so
the problem was not transferred over to Afghanistan already."

With soldiers from the unit set to ship out to Afghanistan this week and
next, base officials administered the surprise urine tests to the soldiers
and searched their work area for more than five hours.

There are now about 2,100 Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan. Units
from Valcartier have been moving into Camp Julien in Kabul during the last
month to relieve fellow soldiers. By the time the rotation is complete next
week, there are to be 1,800 Quebec-based troops on duty in the troubled
country.

The armed forces acted quickly out of concern for the mission, Couture
said, but they also hope the swift action will have a dissuasive effect on
others who might also be tempted by drugs.

"We've always said in the Forces we have a zero-tolerance policy. So if one
of your colleagues is caught, maybe you're not going to try it," Couture said.

"We're professionals. We're dealing with light ammunition. We're dealing
with weapons. This is unacceptable. This is why we moved on it."