CHRISTMAS NIGHTMARE FOR DIGBY FAMILY

Wife Of Digby Man Arrested In Cocaine Bust Vows He's
Innocent

Sheree Halliday wakes up each morning optimistic she will hear
something about her husband Philip, who was arrested Dec. 21 off the
coast of Spain in a major cocaine bust.

In an interview last week, Halliday explained how her husband wound up
aboard the vessel 'Destiny Empress', which was stopped while
transporting a reported 1.5 tonnes of cocaine from Spain to Britain.
British police estimate the street value at over $600 million.

Philip Halliday worked most of his life as a scallop fisherman in
Digby County but took up carpentry after having a triple bypass, says
his wife.

When the 'Destiny Empress', a former Canadian Coast Guard vessel, was
in Shelburne for repairs last February, a job opportunity as a
crewmember arose for Halliday, she said.

He has worked several trips on the ship since, with nothing amiss,
until his Nov. 16 journey.

"This time they called him and asked if he could come, he hesitated
because he was afraid he wouldn't be home for Christmas," said
Halliday. "They wanted him to be in Trinidad because a new owner had
purchased it and he was going to help transport it to Spain."

Upon her husband's arrival to Trinidad, he discovered the ship's usual
captain, a man named Mike from Ireland, would not be on the voyage. A
new captain had been hired.

It was slow going because they had to wait for parts, she
said.

"At the time this is what was told to Philip and it made sense to
him," she added.

She said a red flag went off the day her husband said the crew got a
three-day vacation away from the ship, leaving it vacant.

At the time she thought, "Wow, what an opportunity for someone to do
something and then the thought just left my mind."

She spoke to her husband every night via a satellite phone but it was
her son who took the call from the Spanish police Dec. 21. The call
came in about 12:50 p.m. saying Philip would be arrested and they
would not discuss any details, she explained.

When her son asked what was going on, "the translator said, 'Drugs,
I'm very sorry', and hung up and that was all we were told," Halliday
said.

She was on the phone with the Canadian embassy shortly after, and said
officials there have been helpful through the ordeal.

The embassy confirmed that her husband was admitted to a hospital
because of his kidneys and would be discharged to a penitentiary with
a hospital ward.

At that point, a communication ban was put in place, she
added.

"I don't know if Philip knows I've been contacted. I don't know if he
knows how huge this is. I don't know if he's been charged with
anything," Halliday said. "I've always been his rock and he needs me
to get through this and I just need to talk to him to tell him that
everyone's doing everything they can to help him because I can't
imagine how terrified he is."

On top of the Dec. 21 news about her husband, Halliday's mother died
that same day and her brother was admitted to a hospital in Halifax,
all with Christmas around the corner.

"Adrenaline kicks in and you do what you have to do," she said about
getting through this.

The one thing Halliday wants known is that her husband is
innocent.

"I know if he had an inkling of suspicion of any kind that this wasn't
legit-because he's a chicken shit for one thing-never would he have
gone."

With this job as a crewmember her husband was paid $200 a day, which
she thought was reasonable.

"We planned on maybe building cupboards. When I read in the paper he
had lengthy associations with organized crime, I thought then why
don't I have cupboards," she said with a laugh.

While the waiting game continues, Halliday's next step is to acquire a
lawyer and find a way to speak with her husband.

Halliday would like people to continue with their thoughts and
prayers, as the support has kept her family going.