CANADIAN DETAILS DRUG MULE ROLE

Humanitarian's Case Drew Wide Notice

When Ed Shaw, a 76-year-old retired teacher and noted humanitarian, was
arrested with three men near Covington two years ago with more that $1
million worth of cocaine, he quickly became a cause célèbre in his hometown
of Kingston, Ontario.

Shaw's friends and acquaintances were convinced of his innocence, arguing
the frail, trusting Shaw must have been in the wrong place at the wrong
time, unaware of what his associates were up to.

His supporters raised $20,000 for legal bills. They created a Web site
called "Free Ed Shaw," garnering sympathy in Canada for his plight. And
they successfully urged the Canadian government and media to get involved.

"The Canadian government has been very interested in this case since its
inception," St. Tammany District Attorney Walter Reed said in a prepared
statement Wednesday. "In fact, Canadian television described Shaw as a
well-known humanitarian and gave the impression that because of his age and
background in Canada that some kind of injustice was occurring in St.
Tammany Parish."

Even after Shaw pleaded guilty in June, his supporters in Canada believed
he did so only to avoid a possible 15-year sentence.

That's why Shaw's testimony at his co-defendant's trial last week will
undoubtedly surprise a number of people north of the border.

For several hours last week, Shaw spoke in detail about how he had played a
drug mule, carrying money and cocaine across the U.S. border in July 2001
and October 2001 for drug dealers in Belize.

"I wanted to get a feel for it," Shaw said of why he stuffed bags of
cocaine down his socks before crossing the Mexican border into the United
States.

The co-defendant, Ronald Lines, an architect from Alberta, Canada, who was
accused of assisting Shaw in the delivery of drugs in October 2001, was
convicted early Saturday after a three-day trial for conspiracy to possess
more than 400 grams of cocaine. Lines, who is scheduled to be sentenced
Oct. 31, faces 15 to 30 years in prison.

In exchange for his testimony implicating Lines, Shaw, who previously
received seven years for his guilty plea, is expected to receive a lighter
sentence. State Judge Rusty Knight is scheduled to reconsider that sentence
Sept. 23.

News of Shaw's testimony had not yet reached some of his friends early this
week, but when informed, one active supporter shrugged it off, suggesting
Shaw's humanitarian work outweighs his recent crimes.

"I'm a broad-minded person," said Jim Metcalfe, who organized the fund
raising for Shaw. "Ed Shaw has more positives in his life than negatives.
He was always helping people. . . . We are all of the feeling that when the
roll is called up yonder, he will have a lot of credit on his books."

At Lines' trial last week, Shaw spoke of the assistance he has provided in
money and in time to poor communities in Belize, where he lived before his
arrest in October 2001. In 1998, his hometown of Kingston honored him for
his work in Belize, Metcalfe said.

During his testimony, Shaw said he agreed to carry the drugs across the
border for some of his associates because he was intellectually curious
about the workings of the drug trade, particularly the ill effects it has
on poor Central and South American countries, and wanted to experience it
for himself for a better understanding.

Shaw was arrested Oct. 14, 2001, after he and Lines crossed the border with
the cocaine and were traveling from Texas to Florida with two Belize
nationals, Marlon Seawell, 31, and Clide Peyrefitte, 30, in two vehicles.

After stopping near Covington for the night, Shaw checked into a motel with
Lines while the other two men tried to fix their 1996 Ford Explorer, which
was having transmission problems.

The men called a wrecker service and offered $1,000 cash to have the
vehicle towed to Tampa, Fla. With the country still reeling from the
terrorist attacks a month before, the tow-truck driver became suspicious
and reported the unusual request to authorities, according to police reports.

During a search of the Explorer, State Police found a suitcase containing
18 individually wrapped bricks of cocaine weighing a total of 36 pounds,
police said. They also seized two assault rifles, two semiautomatic pistols
and more than 500 rounds of ammunition. A piece of paper in the truck led
authorities to Shaw and Lines at the hotel.

All four men were arrested. Peyrefitte pleaded guilty to possession with
intent to distribute cocaine in March and was sentenced to seven years.
Seawell's case is pending.

In his prepared statement Wednesday, Reed said a member of the Canadian
Consulate General's office attended Lines' trial and "left with the
impression that justice was served."