TASK FORCE TACKLES DEALERS

Immigration Canada is working with a police task force to fight an
organized Honduran crime wave.

"We have made a lot of special efforts to address the problem through
various means of inter-agency work, working with police forces, and we have
got staff now located in our New Westminster, Surrey RCMP office and
Vancouver police department," said Rob Johnston, manager of enforcement for
Immigration Canada in Vancouver.

"We have been meeting and doing inter-agency work on how to deal with the
problem effectively."

Canadian border officials "strongly feel there's an organized smuggling
ring operating to assist in bringing in 'new guys' to Canada," according to
a New Westminster police report.

Most of the young Hondurans follow the same routine, entering Canada
illegally and applying for refugee status in Vancouver.

Immigration Canada figures show that of the 250 Hondurans claiming refugee
status so far this year, 209 made their claim in Vancouver rather than at
the point of entry.

"They came into Canada via the use of smugglers or across the border at
points other than at points of entry," said Johnston.

More than 70 per cent of the Honduran refugee claimants processed failed to
show up for the refugee hearing.

Only three of 52 Honduran applicants processed for refugee status were
found to be legitimate convention refugees and allowed to remain in Canada.

Most applicants have no identification and claim to be 18 or over. Just
seven of 250 claimed to be 17 or under.

The pattern is evidence of an organized smuggling ring, said Vancouver
Staff-Sgt. Doug MacKay-Dunn.

"They know the system. That is something you don't pick up in a small
village in Honduras."

The drugs are professionally packaged for sale on the street. Each chunk is
shrink-wrapped in plastic and sealed.

"To go to the process of shrink-wrapping would tell me that this is
reasonably sophisticated. That tells me this is organized. It's not just
somebody doing this in the back yard. "

Wrapping the drugs allows the dealers to hold them in their mouth and
swallow the evidence when police approach.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski