MR. BUDWORTH, THE RCMP WANT A WORD WITH YOU

Drug Magazine Writer Boasts of Having Primo Hashish Stash

Nova Scotia Mounties say claims that someone recently imported 100
kilograms of high-quality hashish into Eastern Canada are being
checked out.

In its April edition, Cannabis Culture, an online magazine that covers
hashish issues, including advocacy, published an article whose author
said he was lucky enough to "get his hands on 100 kg" of
top-of-the-line hashish.

The author, who appears to use the pseudonym Nigel Budworth, wrote
that the drugs arrived on the East Coast in five ammunition cans.

"The East Coast has recently resurfaced as the destination for Afghani
hash smuggled in from overseas," the author said in the article,
titled Real Afghani Hashish.

"I was able to get my hands on 100 kg of primo, No. 1 Gold Seal
Afghani, pictured here," he said.

The article contains several photos of the drugs and the ammunition
cans it allegedly arrived in.

"A lot of people on the East Coast of Canada are reminded of the good
old days when they discover how potent the smoke is," he said.

"Though paltry in size compared to the days of old, this shipment is
the real deal; high-quality, real Afghani hashish."

RCMP Supt. Brian Brennan, in charge of the Mounties' drug section in
Nova Scotia, said in a recent interview that it's surprising the
author was so willing to talk about his stash publicly.

The superintendent said he was going to have his officers follow up on
the possibility such a shipment did arrive on the East Coast.

"I will direct the intelligence unit to take a look at it," he said.
"It could be of interest to an investigative unit somewhere else in
Canada.

"We'd have to do some background on it. My interest would be to take
that and give it to our intelligence sections, having a look at it -
does it have merit."

A staffer at Cannabis Culture magazine said in an interview this
summer that he didn't know how to contact the author, noting the
writer usually contacts staff.

Meanwhile, the magazine's publisher, Marc Emery, also known as the
Prince of Pot, turned himself in to British Columbia authorities on
Monday.

Mr. Emery faces extradition to the U.S. for selling marijuana seeds to
Americans. He's set to serve five years in prison there after reaching
a plea bargain with U.S. authorities.

The fact that the drugs, if they did come to the East Coast, were
packed in ammunition cans, as claimed by the author, doesn't mean
there was a military connection, military sources said recently.

Ammunition cans like those pictured in the article can easily be
bought via the Internet or at army surplus stores.

Supt. Brennan said the reference to this region also doesn't mean the
alleged drug shipment came to Nova Scotia. Nonetheless, the
information will be passed on to officers to see if it "rings a bell
with anybody," he said.

"From a policing perspective, this is something that needs to be
examined by our intelligence people . . . and then spread it out
through our intelligence community."

An RCMP spokeswoman said Tuesday that the information from the article
has been placed on the Mounties' intelligence database.

Supt. Brennan said that over the past several years, criminals have
shifted from transporting large drug shipments to sending smaller
packages of contraband instead. That way, if smaller supplies of
contraband are seized by police, crime bosses don't lose as much
money, he said.

In the article lauding the 100-kilogram shipment, the author laments
changes in the drug smuggling industry and the loss of high-quality
product.

"At one time, the people involved in smuggling were mostly a good
bunch of rogues and there was little violence associated with the hash
trade," he wrote.

"When those decent people went out of business in the '80s, a whole
new crowd of biker gangs and organized crime families moved in to do
business. The whole business changed and so did the quality of the
hash."

The writer goes on to say new drug kingpins have diluted the product
by using fillers to maximize their profits.

Supt. Brennan said dope dealers frequently alter their products with
other substances, often cocaine.