COCAINE FOUND IN TOMBSTONE CARGO

Vancouver Airport Find Leads To Glasgow Trial

Canadian border inspectors have uncovered a grave plot to move cocaine
to Scotland from B.C.

Almost nine kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in a tombstone
while being routinely inspected at Vancouver International Airport.

The discovery was made last June by the Canada Border Services Agency
but kept secret until recently while Scottish police arrested a
suspect and brought him to trial.

Last week, Ramandeep Johal of Renfrewshire, Scotland, pleaded guilty
in Glasgow's High Court to receiving the illicit drug.

The wealthy Johal, 31, will be sentenced next month and faces many
years in prison.

A married father with one child, Johal is a director of the
drinks-distribution company Barrels 'N' Booze.

The cocaine connection centred on the scheme to use a memorial marker
to fool Canadian customs agents in Vancouver.

The heavy box was made of wood but painted to resemble a real,
60-centimetre-high gravemarker.

It was inscribed with the made-up name of Albert Thomas, ostensibly a
deceased 70-year-old Scottish pensioner.

The tribute on the stone described a "loving father and husband," who
was flying on "angel's wings." RCMP Supt. Brian Cantera said things
such as hollowed-out tombstones are used to distract inspectors' attention.

"Criminals use anything that appears to be normal. It's a key
ingredient in finding the means to go undetected," he said.

Cantera said he had never heard of a tombstone being used
before.

After its illicit contents were discovered, they were turned over to
the RCMP, who worked with Scottish police to trap the recipient.

The stone was addressed to an "S. Adams," but bound for Johal's
warehouse in Hillington, Renfrewshire.

A Scottish undercover officer posing as a truck driver delivered a
look-alike parcel. Johal received and signed for it on June 20.

According to Scotland's Sunday Mail newspaper, Johal told Scottish
investigators that a cousin in Canada forced him to accept the package.

RCMP have not been able to find the cousin or the Canadian
smuggler.

"RCMP have conducted an investigation locally, but no arrests have
been made," said RCMP Staff-Sgt. Dave Goddard, adding the operation
was a setback for criminals.

"This international investigation has successfully disrupted organized
crime," he said.

A Canadian customs spokeswoman said inspectors were initially
suspicious of the waybill, which lists the weight, value and cost of
shipping.

Information showed the memorial tablet had been custom-made for only
$450.

"This particular shipment warranted more in-depth examination," said
Shakila Manzoor of the Canadian Border Services Agency.

"Officers noticed something was not right." The tablet was X-rayed and
checked with an ion scanner, which detected exterior traces of cocaine.

Agents used a drill to discover the secret cache inside.

"The operation was immensely successful," said Manzoor.

She placed the value of the shipment at $450,000, while Scottish
police say the street value of the cocaine in Scotland, where there is
an epidemic of the drug, was the equivalent of $1.3 million.