RCMP ACCUSED OF FOULING UP HUGE DRUG HAUL

The RCMP had the chance to turn the biggest drug seizure in Canadian
history into a major victory against organized crime. Instead, the case of
the Victoria fishing vessel Western Wind and its 2.5-tonne cargo of pure
cocaine, worth $300 million, may end up with no one being charged at all.

Sources say a senior Mountie vetoed at least two deals that could have led
to the arrest of the people behind a plan to distribute the load of
cocaine, which was more than what is usually seized in all of Canada in a year.

And a member of the Western Wind's crew is accusing the RCMP of putting his
life in danger by pulling the plug on a number of plans to make arrests.

"They'd rather see us dead," said the crew member, who feared for his
safety and asked that his name not be used. "They're choked because nothing
happened to anybody. We all walked from it."

The story of the Western Wind is the story of a man who tried to beat the
system and got in over his head. His choice was to make a lot of money
working for the RCMP or to make a lot of money bringing cocaine into
Canada. He tried to do both.

On Feb. 21, 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted and boarded the Western
Wind as it sailed past Washington's Cape Alava on its way back to Canada,
with plans to dock in either Victoria or Vancouver. On board, hidden in
fuel tanks, the coast guard found the cocaine.

Yet more than 16 months later, the captain of the boat, who lives in
Metchosin, is walking around free, although almost certainly he is looking
over his shoulder. Local police are concerned about his safety and the
safety of this family.

"The big question a lot of people are asking is 'why isn't he dead?'" said
a source close to the investigation. "He lost 2.5 tonnes of coke and was
playing both sides."

At the RCMP, the official line is that the investigation is still open. But
those close to the case say it is over and it is unlikely charges will ever
be laid against the captain and crew of the Western Wind. The RCMP has
started an internal investigation into the case.

The story started in Metchosin in 1999 when a fishing boat captain was
arrested for possession of 225 kilograms of marijuana. The captain started
trying to make a deal with the RCMP to have the case dropped.

Eventually, the charges were stayed.

The captain approached officers working in the Island District Drug Section
with information that he was going to deliver a load of cocaine, the source
said. The deal was that he would serve as an informant in return for $1
million and witness protection for him and his family.

But according to the crew member, it was the police who came to the captain
first to set up the deal.

"They pulled him over and told him he was going to be contacted," he said.

Undercover Victoria officers went with the skipper to Vancouver to get
approval for the deal. When Vancouver drug officers interviewed the
skipper, they felt his demands were too high. Insp. Richard Barszczewski,
who was in charge of the RCMP's Drug Enforcement Branch in B.C., scuttled
the deal.

"When Barszczewski said 'no' it was odd," said the source. "Usually you
make a counteroffer and work out an agreement."

But by the time the agreement with the RCMP collapsed, the fishing boat
captain already had a deal in the works with a group of cocaine merchants.

"His story was that it was too late, that he had to keep his people
interested," said the source. "Now he's in a win-win situation from his
perspective. If he does the deal and doesn't tell the police anymore about
it, he makes millions of dollars. If he gets caught, he can say he had no
choice, the RCMP forced me to do this. It's nonsense, but in court it makes
sense."

During the fall of 2000, the Organized Crime Agency of B.C., initiated its
own independent investigation into the Western Wind. They contacted the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. Their investigation
was turned over to the RCMP.

In late December, the Western Wind sailed from Victoria on what was billed
to the crew as a tuna fishing trip. The RCMP lost track of the vessel for a
month and a half.

About a week after the Western Wind left Victoria, the captain called the
crew together and told them that there was change of plans. Instead of
sailing west and fishing near Tahiti, they would sail south to pick up a
shipment of cocaine. He told the crew that if he didn't go through with the
cocaine deal, his family would be in jeopardy. Everyone was given the
option to get off the boat. Everyone chose to stay.

There was a shotgun and a handgun on board the Western Wind, said the crew
member.

"Because you know, we had a bunch of Colombians coming out and who knows
what they've got, probably rocket launchers or Uzis. As it turned out they
didn't have anything. They came up beside us, popped it over, everyone
shook hands and we were on our way."

When the cocaine was brought on board, it didn't look like that much, he
said. The $300-million stash was about the size of a cord-and-a-half of
wood. It took members of the crew about 45 minutes to bring it below, put
it in the fuel tanks and button it back up.

In February 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard received information that the boat
was on its way back. About 8 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2001, U.S. agents boarded the
Western Wind. They seemed to already know the cocaine was in the fuel tanks.

The captain and the crew member were told by the agents they were ready to
make a deal if they would cooperate with a "controlled drop," with police
on board and waiting to bust those waiting to collect the drugs on shore.

"I talked to the captain in the wheelhouse and said 'what other choice do
we have?'" said the crew member. "It's either this or we're going to jail
for the rest of our lives."

They told the agents to set up the drop.

The Western Wind stayed out at sea waiting for the RCMP to board the boat.
About six hours later, the Mounties came on board and started working on
the plan for the controlled delivery of the cocaine. But once again, said
the source who knows details of the police probe, the word from
Barszczewski was "no." He would not guarantee them witness protection.

"If it had been left up to the undercover agents something would have
happened," said the crew member. "But it was left up to the stuffed shirts
and they were the ones that nixed the deal for the controlled drop."

The Americans wanted to mount a controlled delivery themselves on the
Canadian side of the border. But the RCMP refused to help.

"The Americans wanted to do whatever was necessary," said the source.

Frustrated, U.S. authorities ordered the boat into Port Angeles. They
wanted to press charges themselves but became reluctant when they found out
for the first time the captain had been working as an RCMP informant, said
the source.

"Because he's a source in Canada, the district attorney knew it would be an
insurmountable problem trying to convict these guys," said the source.

To get a conviction, the Americans would also have had to prove the boat
was headed for the U.S., which it wasn't.

The RCMP were scrambling. The four crew members and the captain were held
by the Immigration and Naturalization Service for 14 days without being
charged. Then the district attorney's office turned the crew back to
Canadian authorities. They were driven back to Canada. The captain and the
crew member were bounced around from hotel to hotel on the Lower Mainland.
They were detained but never charged.

According to the crew member, the only thing he has ever been charged with
is illegally entering the U.S. "But we never did pay the $50 fine," he said.

The crew member from the Western Wind admitted he made the choice to stay
on board to try to make money. Today, he said he is angry at the RCMP for
allowing the crew to walk on that boat knowing what it was doing and where
it was going.

"They didn't make any effort to contact any of the crew members and say
'Hey, your life is in jeopardy. You shouldn't be getting on board this
boat.' They let us all walk right into it. If they had come to me and said
the boat could be involved in a drug deal I might have made a better choice
at the time."

Nobody ratted anybody out, he said. But the bottom line is the RCMP weren't
willing to protect them.

"Most of these guys are good guys. But they screwed it up from the get-go.
They had it in their power to take down a lot of people and they screwed it
up."

West Shore RCMP Staff Sgt. Bruce Brown said police are aware of the
individuals who are involved. "Anytime a citizen feels threatened, no
matter what the circumstances, they are free to contact the RCMP by calling
911. We're always willing to meet with people," said Brown.

Barszczewski, who is now an RCMP superintendent, declined to talk to the
Times Colonist. The captain of the Western Wind initially agreed to an
interview, but did not return later telephone messages.