POLICE SEIZE CHOPPER

KOOTENAY CRIME: Local RCMP take helicopter used for cross-border drug
runs out of local airspace; investigation continues into what is
considered a unique case

For the first time in B.C. law enforcement history, Nelson RCMP have
seized a helicopter used regularly to transport drugs to and from the
United States.

The chopper was seized under the Provincial Civil Forfeiture Act from
a remote corner of a large rural property south of Silverton in an
early morning operation on January 23 by police officers from the
Nelson Border Integrity Program (NBIP) and other RCMP detachments in
the region.

The Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopter, painted flat black for
camouflage and modified to carry a maximum payload, now sits under a
tarp at the Nelson RCMP headquarters.

But over the year-and-a-half investigation, police allegedly observed
the helicopter make at least 10 flights back and forth across the
49th parallel.

Sergeant Dennis Blanch of the NBIP said this particular helicopter
has been on the police radar since August of 2007.

"This helicopter has been stored in at least five different locations
throughout the Kootenays. It was moved and stored under tarps until
the next shipments arrived," said Blanch, who was involved in
Operation Blade Runner, a joint RCMP and U.S. DEA operation that
seized two similar helicopters carrying large loads of marijuana
across the border in February 2009.

Blanch said the helicopter was most often flown by unlicensed or
student license pilots in low light conditions at tree level, often
through bad weather to avoid detection by border enforcement agents and police.

Pilots would use the chopper to make short hops across the border
from one rural location to another, allegedly bringing as much as 400
pounds of pot and sometimes ecstasy out of the country and returning
with a payload of cocaine.

Blanch added that it hasn't seen a regular inspection to ensure
compliance with federal safety regulations since 2006 and has had
several modifications made to it, including the removal of the back
seats to allow larger loads, call signs and marker lights.

He noted that the usage of the helicopter and the lack of proper
maintenance on the machine alone make it a danger to public safety -
aside from its use for criminal activity.

No one was arrested as a result of the investigation.

Blanch said the nature of this type of investigation requires the
people involved to be caught in the act, which is often difficult to do.

But he said arresting the pilots and people on the ground is only the
tip of the iceberg, and the goal of police is to get at the organized
crime bosses behind the drug production and cross-border smuggling rings.

Blanch added that seizing assets like helicopters, vehicles, bank
accounts and houses is an effective tool for that purpose and hits
the ringleaders where it hurts - in the pocketbook.

"We want the courts to hit criminals right in the wallet and, in this
case, take away an expensive asset that assists them in trafficking
controlled drugs," Blanch said

Because it hasn't had regular maintenance, the value of the Bell
206B, assessed for salvageable parts is about $200,000. If brought up
to code, the value would be about $500,000.

If the owner of the helicopter wants the aircraft back, they'll have
to show up at a civil forfeiture hearing to claim it.

But Blanch said the amount of fines from violations of federal
transport regulations alone might make that appearance unprofitable
for the owner.

"Based on offences related to the 10 flights, there will be well in
excess of $200,000 in fines," he said.