CANADIAN ENVOY CHARGED WITH COCAINE SMUGGLING

First Case Of Its Kind

OTTAWA - The RCMP yesterday arrested a former administrative officer at the
Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv, 3 1/2 years after Israeli police informed
Canadian authorities that they suspected he was smuggling cocaine.

Douglas Wardle, 42, had known Canadian police were investigating his
involvement with a ring responsible for bringing 8.5 kg of cocaine into
Israel, but his lawyer says the arrest nonetheless surprised his client.

The case is believed to be the first of its kind in Canada because even
though the alleged offence took place in another country, legal proceedings
are being brought in this country. The Public Service Employment Act allows
Canadian law to be applied to crimes committed by government employees in
other countries.

Yesterday, Mr. Wardle "was just on his way to work like he does everyday,
and the police appeared and informed him that he was under arrest," said
his lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon.

Mr. Wardle, of Mississauga, was taken to a hastily arranged bail hearing.
The Crown consented to his release on a number of conditions, including a
$100,000 fine if bail was violated.

The charges of conspiracy to import, importing and trafficking narcotics
come after a lengthy RCMP investigation, which involved gleaning
information in Israel, New York City, Los Angeles and the Netherlands.

This investigation began when three Israeli men -- Meir Hazan, Yitzach
Lerer, and Jacob Sterenhim -- were arrested in Tel Aviv in November, 1996.
These men are now serving sentences ranging from 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 years.

Information from this investigation led police to the Canadian Embassy.
Because of diplomatic immunity, Mr. Wardle wasn't arrested or charged
there. Instead, RCMP began inquiries when he returned to Canada in 1996,
where he remained on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade payroll until his resignation in early 1998.

Court documents show Mr. Wardle allegedly twice left Israel without the
knowledge of Canadian officials there and took planes to Los Angeles where
the cocaine was allegedly picked up. One alleged shipment was 2.5 kg, the
other 6 kg. From there, police claim Mr. Wardle flew to New York to the
Netherlands and back to Tel Aviv with the drugs.

When the accusations were made against him, Mr. Wardle had amassed 20 years
of foreign service. It was his second year of a three-year posting in Tel Aviv.