Canadian passports gain currency in drug trade

Police seize 25 blank passports in Orleans bust

Blank Canadian passports smuggled out of a highsecurity printing business
in Ottawa are increasingly being used as currency in the local, national
and international drug trade, police say.

Yesterday, the RCMP and Canada Customs said that a recent joint
investigation resulted in a $1million heroin bust at a Vanier home.

Police searched another home in Orleans in connection with the bust and
seized 25 authentic, blank Canadian passports.

"This is the second time that passports have turned up in connection with
drug busts, " RCMP Sgt. Paul Jolicoeur said yesterday. "It means there is
something there."

A month ago, the Citizen reported that police seized 10 blank passports
during a cocaine bust in which two Ottawa men were charged.

As a result of that bust, the RCMP immigration and passport division
launched an investigation into how the passports were smuggled out of an
unidentified Ottawaarea secure print shop, who did it, and how they made
their way into the local drug trade.

That investigation is continuing, but no arrests have been made.

"We're working to determine where (the passports) are coming from, and who
is doing it," Sgt. Jolicoeur said yesterday.

"The fact that we have more of them (the 25 found in the bust) now may help
us in solving this."

Sgt. Jolicoeur said his investigation involves more than the 35 passports
that have already been seized, but he wouldn't say how many are involved.
He wouldn't comment further because the investigation is continuing.

The director of security at the Canadian passport office said he knows how
the passports were being smuggled out and who did it.

"We know where the weak spot in the chain was and have taken steps already
to shut off the flow of the passports. É We are confident we have fixed the
problem," Jocelyn Francoeur said.

Mr. Francoeur wouldn't say how many people or how many passports were
involved, but he did say he was confident the individuals responsible would
be charged soon.

"The Canadian secure print industry is one of the best in the world. But
even with highsecurity checks, some bad apples got through. They are not
there now."

Mr. Francoeur said it is clear the passports seized in the heroin bust were
destined to be shipped overseas.

"The only people interested in having them would be people outside of
Canada. Who knows whose hands they would have ended up in."

Mr. Francoeur declined to comment on speculation that employees of the
print shop were selling the passports to local dealers in return for drugs.

Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for
passports, declined to comment yesterday and directed questions to the
passport office.

The 317 grams of pure heroin seized in the bust were detected by Canada
Customs agents at the Vancouver airport on Monday. They were packed into
two pots with false bottoms and sent by courrier to 114A Barrette St. in
Vanier.

Customs alerted the RCMP in Ottawa about the shipment. When it arrived in
Vanier on Thursday night, several officers moved in and arrested Robert
Rockley, 27, of Orleans, and Tara Gerhards, 21, of Vanier.

Police had had the pair under surveillance since Monday, and also had a
search warrant for 1660 Barrington St. in Orleans. A search of this home
turned up the passports and a small quantity of marijuana.

It also resulted in the arrests of Mr. Rockley's brother, Michael, 22, and
his mother, Virginia, 54.

Insp. Dale Begbie, head of the RCMP's Ottawa drug unit, said the heroin was
the largest amount they have seized that was destined for the local market.

"The last couple of larger seizures we've made were destined for other
places like Montreal or the U.S., but this was going to stay here," he said.

Reform party foreign affairs critic Bob Mills said lack of action on the
part of the ministry is putting the credibility of Canadian passports in
jeopardy.

"The minister (Lloyd Axworthy) has known for a month now about this and
hasn't told us what, if anything, he's doing about it," Mr. Mills said.

"This is going to cause serious problems for Canadians travelling overseas
and that is unacceptable."

The bust in Ottawa is the most recent in a string of events battering the
reputation of Canadian passports, which were once highly respected in the
international community.

Last month, Israeli Mossad agents were caught carrying Canadian passports
after a failed attempt to poison Khaled Meshal, a senior member of Hamas,
in Amman, Jordan.

This prompted Mr. Axworthy to recall Canada's ambassador to Israel. It is
still unclear how the Mossad got hold of the passports. Mr. Axworthy said
they were forged.

Mr. Rockley and Ms. Gerhards were charged with possession of heroin for the
purpose of trafficking, importation of heroin, conspiracy to import heroin,
and possession of property obtained by crime.

They appeared in court yesterday. Mr. Rockley was held in custody, and Ms.
Gerhards was released with bail conditions.

Michael Rockley and Virginia Rockley were charged with possession of
marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property
obtained by crime. They too appeared in court yesterday and were released
on bail.

All will appear in court again next week.

Copyright 1997 The Ottawa Citizen