FORMER SMUGGLER SECURES JOB OFFERS

A former international drug smuggler who purchased for-hire
advertisements in the National Post has won six expressions of interest
from prospective employers -- and a guest spot as a television chef.

Brian O'Dea fielded more than 50 media calls and a few firm job offers
on the first day that his frank advertisement ran on this newspaper's
classified pages.

The ad touts the management and organizational skills the 52-year-old
Newfoundlander acquired as a marijuana importer in the 1980s, noting
that he helped land and distribute more than $100-million worth of
Vietnamese-grown cannabis on the northwest U.S. coast.

It also points out he has completed a 10-year prison sentence for his
crimes and is determined to support his family "through legal and
legitimate means."

"Are you kidding? I'm delighted with the response," he said between
interviews. "It's been phenomenal. I couldn't buy this kind of
attention. I couldn't afford it."

The Post ran a news story yesterday about Mr. O'Dea's advertising
gambit, in which he explains his reasons for putting his criminal past
front and centre.

His chief concern was that, since he had re-entered the straight world,
his family's savings had dwindled and he did not wish to become reliant
upon his wife. His prison term officially expired on Jan. 23, but his
determination to lead a legitimate life hangs on landing his first
steady job.

Mr. O'Dea received full parole in 1995, following a prison transfer to
Nova Scotia from California.

He has admitted to feeling nervous about entering the job market, noting
that his resume is "a bit unorthodox."

But his prospects appeared to improve markedly yesterday as at least
half a dozen companies and entrepreneurs called to express interest in
his services.

One man who runs an electric boat manufacturing company in Ottawa left a
message early yesterday morning saying he was prepared to offer Mr.
O'Dea a job. Mr. O'Dea kept other offers private because they involve
either tentative interest or positions the employers are required to
post internally.

Perhaps more importantly, Mr. O'Dea received a vote of confidence from
his banker, who was impressed by the audacious advertisement. "He said
he was behind me 100%," Mr. O'Dea said.

In the meantime, Mr. O'Dea answered an onslaught of interview requests
from Vancouver to Newfoundland, including one from The Lofters, a group
of hipsters who broadcast a hybrid Internet-television show from a flat
in downtown Toronto.

Mr. O'Dea was recruited to chat with the hosts during their live
Web-cast on www.U8TV.com last night. Parts of the program are repackaged
for a daily broadcast on the Life Network.

Mr. O'Dea's ad is slated to run until Saturday.