CUSTOMS' FIRST-CLASS SNOOPS TAKE A SNEAK PEEK AT THE MAIL

Somewhere In Mississauga, 'Inspector Green' And Crew Watch For Drugs And Dirt

Getting that rum-soaked Christmas pudding from your aunt in Jamaica might
have been a big surprise for you.

But you weren't the first person to see it. Days before the parcel was
delivered to your door, Canada Customs knew it was coming to you.

You see, your aunt just happens to live in a country that Canadian
authorities keep tabs on - not just as to travellers, but also mail.

Same thing with that videotape from your cousin's wedding in Japan. If you
noticed the box had been opened before you received it, chances are customs
officers thought the wedding was just a ruse for a reel of pornography.

It's common knowledge that Canada Customs officers at Pearson International
Airport routinely target aircraft and passengers arriving from countries
considered to be drug sources, such as parts of the Caribbean, South
America, Europe, Africa and the Far East.

But few realize that international mail entering Canada from these
countries also is targeted for inspection, for everything from drugs and
pornography to unpaid duty and tax.

This year, 2 million to 3 million pieces of mail that passed through
Toronto were sniffed, felt and even opened - and most recipients probably
have no idea their parcels were examined.

"We know these (countries) are high risk," says Bob Burfield, manager of
the international mail centre. "Our intelligence information tells us that
these are good countries for us to spend a little time looking at the mail
that comes in from them."

The sleuthing begins at the international mail centre, a nondescript
building in a Mississauga industrial area. Canada Post and Canada Customs
share the vast space, the exact location of which is kept secret.

All international parcels entering Toronto pass through here, as well as
envelopes from high-risk countries. Canada Post presents them to customs
inspectors. When an envelope arouses suspicion, inspectors weigh it to see
if it meets requirements for opening without consent.

An envelope of more than 30 grams can be opened on the spot. Any less, and
the person to whom it's addressed must be notified and asked for permission
to open it.

Even without that permission, customs inspectors can, and often do, put the
envelope through the X-ray scanner.

"Thousands of parcels and mail are checked every day," says Canada Customs
spokes person Duncan Smith. "The mail goes through a screening process, the
same as passengers do at the airport, except you can't ask the boxes any
questions."

Burfield says about 20 per cent of the 15 million parcels and envelopes
that pass through the Mississauga plant each year are closely examined.
This year, more than 150 parcels and envelopes containing more than
$911,000 worth of narcotics have been seized. The drugs were smuggled
inside cards, toys, clothing, hollowed-out videotapes and books.

Some 1,500 pieces of mail containing pornographic videotapes, pictures and
magazines have been intercepted.

Each month, customs inspectors working in the plant are given a list of
about a dozen countries of origin to be watched. Among those routinely
targeted are Jamaica, Bolivia, Korea, Peru, Brazil and Colombia and various
East African countries.

"We highlight a specific country and do a concentrated effort on mail
coming from these countries for a certain period of time," Burfield says.
"We can't watch them all. We rotate from South American countries to
European and sometimes the United States for two or three weeks at a time,
then switch to other countries."

Recently, targeted surveillance led to the arrest of three Mississauga men
in connection with drug imports. The six-month probe, which also involved
the RCMP and Immigration Canada, led investigators to 850 grams of cocaine
worth more than $125,000.

Investigators say the cocaine was sent in nondescript envelopes by post
from Brazil and Colombia, to addresses in Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton,
Milton and Burlington.

On this day in the plant, a large cardboard box that was said to contain
spices drew special attention. Something just didn't seem right, and when
the customs inspector ran it through the scanner, his gut feeling was dead on.

The box was filled with khat, a leafy green stimulant grown in East Africa
- - legal in many parts of the world, but not here.

"We find a lot of this stuff," says the customs inspector, who, like most
officers at this plant, goes by the name of Inspector Green.

The box of khat, sent from a Swiss address, was rewrapped and put aside for
the RCMP, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

"To get a conviction, you have to have possession, knowledge and consent,
and a lot of the people who are supposed to receive items such as narcotics
and pornography often claim they had no knowledge it was being sent to
them," Smith says.

Often, parcels are shipped through several countries before they reach the
destination.

"They'll try their best to disguise the source country. But our inspectors
are pretty good at what they do," Burfield says.

The amount of drugs seized from mail is small potatoes compared with the
more than $160 million worth of narcotics found hidden on airplanes and
passengers at Pearson airport this year.

On this day, another Inspector Green handled a small parcel, this time from
Hong Kong, that contained small pieces of jewelry wrapped in plastic bags,
complete with price tags.

"Obviously, whoever was getting these so-called Christmas gifts (was)
planning on re-selling them," Green said.

On a rotating basis, one inspector sits in a room scanning suspicious
videotapes, on the lookout for child pornography, bondage or bestiality.
Tapes flagged as questionable are sent on to a prohibited-import
specialist, who determines whether they'll be seized.

Customs officers aren't often surprised by what they find - including
unique smuggling methods, like last year's 2 1/2-foot doll loaded with
Ecstasy.

Inspectors "see the same stuff every year," Burfield says. "They can spot a
legitimate Christmas gift."