COPS AIM TO CRACK AIRPORT DRUG RING

TORONTO -- Police here are banding together to smash a ring of
corrupt baggage handlers smuggling millions of dollars in drugs into
Canada through Pearson Airport.

Police said a new unit is being formed of officers from the RCMP,
Toronto and Peel police, and Canada and U.S. Customs.

"This is a new police initiative and it's in the planning stage," one
officer said.

RCMP Sgt. Bill Matheson said his force has been trying for some time
to get manpower for the badly-needed unit.

"We've been trying to get a unit to work on this," he said. "It's
coming around slowly."

$30 MILLION

Police estimate in the last six months they've intercepted about $30
million in drugs from jets landing at Pearson.

Police said the unit will probe untagged bags that are unloaded from
planes and later smuggled out of the airport.

Also targeted are plane groomers who remove drugs hidden inside the
aircraft. The drugs are smuggled out of Pearson, mostly in gym bags.

The RCMP have said the handlers are paid up to $15,000 by Colombian
cartel members every time they unload drugs from commercial flights
and smuggle it out of the airport.

The Mounties suspect "more than a dozen" ground handlers are behind
the Pearson ring.

The drugs are hidden on aircraft by corrupt handlers in other
countries, who tell Toronto workers where to find the shipments when
the planes arrive here.

The drugs being smuggled include cocaine, heroin, hashish and
marijuana.