RCMP, DEA BUST DRUG SMUGGLING RING LINKED TO DEATH OF REVELSTOKE MAN

Seven Canadian men and one American man are facing smuggling-related
charges after the RCMP and U.S. DEA have disrupted a major
marijuana-for-cocaine smuggling ring with links to the Malakwa area.
The operation, which involved multiple Canadian and U.S. law
enforcement agencies, was named Operation Blade Runner.

The RCMP say they have seized two helicopters, 83 kilograms of
cocaine, 340 kilograms of marijuana and 9 pounds of ecstasy.

The RCMP say the investigation started after Utah police seized 87
kilograms of cocaine and arrested one Canadian and one American man
during a traffic stop on an unspecified date. Police say as a result
of that stop investigators targeted a remote site near Colville, Washington.

On Feb. 23, 2009, 24-year-old Sam Brown of Revelstoke, B.C. was
arrested by U.S. authorities while trying to offload 350 kilograms of
marijuana from a helicopter at that site.

The helicopter and marijuana were seized and Brown was charged with
possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver an was
held in the Spokane County Jail where he was found dead in his cell on Feb. 27.

An official from the Spokane County Medical Examiner's office said
that autopsy reports indicate Lindsay-Brown hanged himself in his
jail cell on the afternoon of Feb. 27 using a bed sheet.

RCMP say further intelligence led them to believe another helicopter
was going to be transporting marijuana and a large amount of the drug
ecstasy to the U.S. On Mar. 5, a 29-year-old Kelowna man was arrested
in Idaho by U.S. authorities. Police seized 78 kilograms of marijuana
at that time.

The RCMP say this led to a "rapid exchange" of information between
Canadian and U.S. authorities in order to allow the RCMP to surveil a
site near Nelson, B.C. where that helicopter had departed from.

Through surveillance, the RCMP arrested a 20-year-old and a
48-year-old at that site. Both of the males are from Chilliwack, B.C.

They say the men were on the way back to pick up the remainder of the
drugs that had been left in the helicopter landing zone. An
additional 68 kilograms of marijuana and 40,000 ecstasy tablets were seized.

Following those arrests, RCMP then raided two hotel rooms and a
storage trailer in Nelson, B.C. where a loaded handgun was seized.

Following this development, the RCMP and US DEA shared further
intelligence and the RCMP then executed a search warrant on the
residence of a 37-year-old male in Malakwa on Mar. 5. He was arrested
without incident.

Police executed another search warrant at the home of a 35-year-old
Salmon Arm man where they found three handguns, one shotgun and a
rifle, which were all seized. The RCMP eventually located that man in
the Kamloops area and arrested him on Mar. 5, 2009.

Another man, 35-year-old Sean Doak was arrested in connection with
the investigation. He was on parole at the time of his arrest and his
parole has been revoked.

Three of the seven Canadian men have been released and are awaiting
court dates, while the 48-year-old man arrested at the helicopter
departure site near Nelson is being held and is facing extradition to the U.S.

The 29-year-old from Kelowna has had a court appearance but remains
in a U.S. federal institution in Idaho.

The other two arrested in Utah remain there in U.S. custody.

"This international investigation reveals just how seamless American
and Canadian Law Enforcement work together in an effort to combat
Criminal Organizations operating between the two countries," said
RCMP Staff Sergeant Dave Goddard.

Law enforcement authorities say the dismantling of the operation was
made possible due to cross-border cooperation between the RCMP
South-East Drug Section, the RCMP Integrated Border Integrity Team,
the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, as well as cooperation from special units such
as Customs and Excise in Nelson, the South-East District Criminal
Intelligence Service and the RCMP detachments in Sicamous and Salmon Arm.

The RCMP say the investigation is continuing.

A joint RCMP and U.S. DEA press conference in Seattle, Washington was
scheduled for the morning of Mar. 25. The Revelstoke Times Review is
working with our sister publication the Bellevue Reporter to provide
coverage of this press conference.

See www.revelstoketimesreview.com and the April 1 print edition of
the Revelstoke Times Review for more on this developing story.