TRUCKER WAS OFFERED $28,000 TO SMUGGLE COKE, COURT FILES SAY

A Quebec truck driver was to be paid $28,000 to smuggle 120.7
kilograms of cocaine worth $12 million from California to Montreal
before he was caught by Canada Customs officers at the Ambassador
Bridge, documents filed in court Friday reveal.

Andre Couture, 29, of Plessisville, Que., was scheduled to have a
sentencing hearing in Ontario Court Friday, but the hearing did not
proceed because of the absence of a French interpreter.

Couture's lawyer Roland Schwalm told court his client "would like to
begin his sentence as soon as possible."

Ontario Court Justice Lloyd Dean did not want the sentencing hearing
to proceed.

"I do feel that because of the potential sentence it would be
inappropriate to proceed in the absence of an interpreter," said Dean.

Couture, who has no criminal record, has limited ability to speak and
understand English.

An agreed statement of fact and a report on cocaine smuggling through
Windsor were filed in court, however, and reveal that Couture had been
employed at the trucking company for just over a month when the
seizure occurred.

Couture was hired by Trans West Logistics in Lachine, Que., in March
2009 at a salary of $890 weekly, the document says.

He drove a tractor-trailer to Castroville, Calif., where there was a
load of lettuce consigned to a fruit and wholesale company in Montreal.

After picking up the 26 pallets of Ocean Mist lettuce on April 6,
2009, Couture then made another stop at an undisclosed location where
he accepted delivery of 120.7 kilograms of cocaine.

The cocaine was placed into four boxes of lettuce.

On April 9, 2009, at 1:05 a.m. Couture re-entered Canada at the
Ambassador Bridge and was referred to secondary inspection by Canada
Border Services Agency officers based on a tip to be on the lookout
for the truck.

They found nothing initially, but the truck was sent to an offsite
inspection area and a cardboard box of lettuce was found to contain
bricks of cocaine.

Couture was arrested at 2:15 a.m. and CBSA officers eventually found
120.7 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $12 million.

Couture initially denied any knowledge of the cocaine but eventually
admitted he had received the cocaine for delivery back to Canada in
return for $28,000.

"I can say that there's no question that recent cocaine smuggling by
commercial truck drivers present as an alarming statistic," federal
prosecutor Richard Pollock said outside court.

"This is certainly one of the largest cocaine seizures at an
international port this year. It's one of the largest ever in Windsor."

He said it is unusual for an accused smuggler to reveal how much he
was to be paid. Pollock declined to say what length of sentence he
would be seeking.

"There's no question the Crown will be seeking a lengthy term of
imprisonment," said Pollock.

Another man in the truck, Roger Godbout, 39, of Thetford Mines, Que.,
has pleaded not guilty. His case is scheduled for a preliminary
hearing in the spring.

The report on significant cocaine seizures in Windsor says that
between 2000 and the end of 2008 more than 800 kilograms of cocaine
valued at more than $98 million was seized.

"The combination of a large volume of commercial loads and the ability
to hide within the legitimate trucking industry presents the
opportunity for criminal elements to service Canada's increasingly
sophisticated drug cartels," the report says.

"These individuals specialize in the movement of contraband by often
combining multiple shipments within a single load to maximize profit
and minimize risk."

The report says the number of cocaine seizures increased steadily
between 2003 and 2007, when there were seven.

The report says smugglers are becoming increasingly inventive for
methods to spirit contraband across the border.

"Once the load arrives near the border, the co-conspirators arrange to
move the load to a second driver who does not display the same
characteristics as the original transporter," the report says.

"If the original transport had a legitimate load of produce from
California, the second driver may be hauling auto parts from Ohio and
be a member of an expedited program such as FAST."