HASH A DOWNER FOR T.O. PLANE

TORONTO -- An Air Canada jet bound for Los Angeles on the weekend was
delayed at Pearson Airport after maintenance workers stumbled across a stash
of hash.

Some 190 passengers waiting to board the Boeing 767 on Saturday had to wait
for another plane as a Canada Customs dog team searched the jet.

Customs spokesman Duncan Smith said 1 lb. (450 grams) of hashish, worth
about $60,000, was found wrapped in two plastic bags in the vents under the
aisle of the plane.

Police said the jet had returned Friday night from a trip to Jamaica and the
dope was to have been removed by ramp handlers in Toronto.

Air Canada spokesman Michele Meier said the dope was found by maintenance
workers fixing an emergency lighting problem.

"The floor lights weren't working and workers had removed the panels when
they found the drugs," she said.

She said a maintenance crew didn't believe the hash caused the lights to
malfunction.

There have been no charges and police are investigating.