US INDICTS CANADIAN GUARD

A Guard Who Worked At The Aldergrove Border Crossing Is Wanted By
American Authorities.

An Aldergrove border guard faces charges of conspiracy to smuggle
drugs in the United States, and may face extradition.

An arrest warrant for Jasbir Singh Grewal was issued in a Seattle
courtroom two weeks ago.

Grewal is accused of allowing at least 12 large shipments of cocaine
concealed in motor homes to cross into B.C. from Washington state
through the Aldergrove crossing.

A grand jury indictment indicates Grewal is charged with conspiracy to
export cocaine, allegedly in partnership with several others.

The cocaine was allegedly moved north in a recreation vehicle, and
Grewal was paid $50,000 per shipment, according to the U.S. indictment.

Police south of the border believe Grewal was warned in advance that a
shipment was coming in, and that he told the driver of the vehicle by
phone to come through the booth where he was stationed. The indictment
claims the smuggling began in the summer of 2007 and continued until
November 2008.

It also claims the crossings took place 12 times, and that Grewal
didn't document the vehicles' crossings, to avoid detection by other
authorities.

The indictment also claims the right to seize the proceeds of the
crime.

Pennie Libby, the regional communications manager for Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA), said the agency is cooperating fully with the
investigation.

She also confirmed that the RCMP is looking into the matter.

However, she refused to say whether Grewal is still working, if he has
left the CBSA, or if he is on suspension.

The CBSA would not release any information on his employment status,
she said.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss personal information," Libby said,
citing the Privacy Act.

Libby did confirm there is an internal investigation underway at CBSA.

She would not say how long Grewal was working at the Aldergrove
crossing or whether he was still working there when the charges in the
United States were made public.

Langley MP Mark Warawa said a number of people have called him, trying
to find out what Grewal's employment status is.

"My hope is that he's not on the job," Warawa said, adding that he
would expect someone facing such charges to be placed on suspension.

"It's very serious, particularly knowing that Aldergrove has been a
port of concern," Warawa said.

Insp. Murray Power of the federal RCMP drug section said that if a
request for an arrest and extradition proceedings came through from
the United States, officers would act on that.

As far as he was aware, a request had not yet been made, and Grewal
had not been arrested in Canada.

"Not to my knowledge," Power said.

Emily Langlie of the U.S. Attorney's office in Tacoma, Washington,
confirmed that U.S. authorities believed Grewal was not yet in police
custody.

As far as whether there was an investigation on the Canadian side into
this case, Power couldn't comment. He noted that the RCMP and CBSA are
always investigating drug importation offenses.

Despite the charges, Libby said, people should still have confidence
and trust in the border guards manning the checkpoints into Canada.

The Aldergrove border crossing has been the focus of controversy
lately because of potential security concerns over truck traffic.

The CBSA had planned to close the crossing to trucks, citing a lack of
equipment there to properly screen large commercial vehicles.

The proposal prompted a storm of protest from merchants and local
politicians south of the Fraser River. Officials and chambers of
commerce in Langley, Surrey, and Abbotsford lobbied hard to keep the
border open.

It was recently announced that the trucks would keep moving through
the crossing, and an upgrade to the structure is in the works, thanks
to funding from Border Services.

Integrity of the guards is paramount, however, Warawa said.

"Even an upgraded facility isn't going to help, if you've got somebody
letting illegal drugs and guns into this country," the MP said.