News (Media Awareness Project) - Canada: Canada Makes Biggest Ecstasy Haul Of RM27.5M |
| Title: | Canada: Canada Makes Biggest Ecstasy Haul Of RM27.5M |
| Published On: | 2000-08-24 |
| Source: | Star, The (Malaysia) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-03 11:26:16 |
CANADA MAKES BIGGEST ECSTASY HAUL OF RM27.5M
TORONTO: Canadian police said yesterday they had made their biggest seizure yet of the designer drug Ecstasy, a C$11mil (RM27.5mil) shipment from Belgium, but officials admitted it would barely dent the roaring trade.
Authorities said the bust was further proof that Canada has become a major player in the global trade of Ecstasy, a drug known for its popularity at the frenetic all-night dance parties called raves.
Customs officials uncovered about 340,000 tablets of the drug in Montreal during a routine cargo examination of a carload of auto parts on Aug 10, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials said.
The illegal amphetamines, which were shipped from Baelen in containers, were to continue by train to a Toronto business address, the Mounties said.
Two Toronto men were charged in the smuggling operation.
A Customs spokesman said there have been 113 seizures of Ecstasy this year, a 20% increase over 1999. Mounties seized 16,095gm of Ecstasy from domestic and international sources in 1999, an 82% increase over 1997.
In July, a Bulgarian man was arrested at Calgary International Airport after Customs officials discovered 5,600 tablets of the drug hidden in pantyhose he was wearing under his clothes.
"We know that Canada is being used as a trans-shipment point from Europe to the United States. As well, we know quite a significant quantity of the drug is originating from Canada," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Insp Mike McDonell said.
Police said they believed the huge shipment of the euphoria-inducing drug was intended for the Toronto market.
Law enforcement and other public officials in the city have been under increasing pressure to combat the spread of the drug's use in the wake of seven Ecstasy-related deaths. But they said yesterday the bust would only put a dent in the trade.
"I can't sit here and boast this is a tremendously significant seizure. We're seeing more and more of this, and at most we're putting a halt to the process for a very short time," said McDonell.
Canadian Customs spokesman Mark Butler said all parcels are subject to Customs inspections and the department works actively with authorities in other countries to curb the drug trade.
"We're aware of the drug and we're aware of the methods in which it's coming in. We're concentrating on that," said Butler.
TORONTO: Canadian police said yesterday they had made their biggest seizure yet of the designer drug Ecstasy, a C$11mil (RM27.5mil) shipment from Belgium, but officials admitted it would barely dent the roaring trade.
Authorities said the bust was further proof that Canada has become a major player in the global trade of Ecstasy, a drug known for its popularity at the frenetic all-night dance parties called raves.
Customs officials uncovered about 340,000 tablets of the drug in Montreal during a routine cargo examination of a carload of auto parts on Aug 10, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials said.
The illegal amphetamines, which were shipped from Baelen in containers, were to continue by train to a Toronto business address, the Mounties said.
Two Toronto men were charged in the smuggling operation.
A Customs spokesman said there have been 113 seizures of Ecstasy this year, a 20% increase over 1999. Mounties seized 16,095gm of Ecstasy from domestic and international sources in 1999, an 82% increase over 1997.
In July, a Bulgarian man was arrested at Calgary International Airport after Customs officials discovered 5,600 tablets of the drug hidden in pantyhose he was wearing under his clothes.
"We know that Canada is being used as a trans-shipment point from Europe to the United States. As well, we know quite a significant quantity of the drug is originating from Canada," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Insp Mike McDonell said.
Police said they believed the huge shipment of the euphoria-inducing drug was intended for the Toronto market.
Law enforcement and other public officials in the city have been under increasing pressure to combat the spread of the drug's use in the wake of seven Ecstasy-related deaths. But they said yesterday the bust would only put a dent in the trade.
"I can't sit here and boast this is a tremendously significant seizure. We're seeing more and more of this, and at most we're putting a halt to the process for a very short time," said McDonell.
Canadian Customs spokesman Mark Butler said all parcels are subject to Customs inspections and the department works actively with authorities in other countries to curb the drug trade.
"We're aware of the drug and we're aware of the methods in which it's coming in. We're concentrating on that," said Butler.
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