RECORD OPIUM SHIPMENT INTERCEPTED AT YVR

Almost 57 Kilograms Were Hidden In Tombstone

Four Metro Vancouver residents have been arrested in connection with
the largest opium shipment ever intercepted in B.C.

The 57 kilograms of opium arrived earlier this month secreted in an
inscribed 550-kilogram tombstone shipped by air cargo from Iran and
addressed to a Coquitlam residence, RCMP announced Tuesday.

Police in B.C. rarely come across opium and when they do, it is
usually just a couple of kilograms, Staff Sgt. Dave Goddard of the
RCMP's Federal Drug Enforcement Program said in an interview.

"This is the largest one we can find on record," Goddard said. "It is
the largest one I have seen in my time."

Goddard said investigators don't know where the opium would have
ended up, but it was likely for a local market.

"I have no idea who is using it all," he said. "I don't think this is
a drug that is popular with youth."

The tombstone arrived at Vancouver International Airport Jan. 6 and
was sent for a secondary search. Canada Border Services Agency
officers discovered a cavity inside containing the opium, which they seized.

But investigators put the tombstone back together and delivered it to
its destination in the 700-block of Gauthier Avenue.

The following day, Jan. 14, the RCMP executed a search warrant at the
residence and arrested a 39-year-old female who lives there, Goddard said.

Later that evening, her 48-year-old husband turned himself in to
police. On Jan. 15, a 51-year-old male who rents space at the same
address was arrested in North Vancouver. Four days later, his
55-year-old brother was picked up in North Vancouver, Goddard said.

As rare as opium is, the drug is extremely dangerous, he said.

"The concern for public safety, due to an array of harmful effects to
those who consume the substance, which is very similar to the effects
of heroin, is very concerning," Goddard said. "We will continue to
work with CBSA to investigate and arrest those who attempt to import
illegal substances into our country."

He said police reports to the Crown are now being prepared and
charges will be recommended.

Goddard said that when police searched the house, the tombstone had
been opened up again to reveal the compartment where the opium had been stored.

He said it is too soon to say if opium shipments are on the rise.

"To me this is just a one-off," Goddard said.

Last September, Port Moody police announced a record seizure of opium
- -- 5.267 kilograms -- found secreted in suitcases shipped from Turkey.

One man was charged.

And last fall, Surrey RCMP announced they had seized "doda" -- a drug
derived from the opium poppy pod -- at a busy shopping complex.

Also last year, a North Vancouver couple was found guilty of
importing opium from the Middle East hidden in hollow picture frames.

Reza Eshghabadi, 48, and his wife Ashraf Nabiloo, 40, were convicted
of smuggling 1.5 kilograms of opium in picture frames that arrived
with a shipment of glassware from Dubai in November of 2003. They
were sentenced to two years less a day.

Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews praised the efforts of the
RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency.

"I would like to congratulate law enforcement officials whose
outstanding efforts have prevented dangerous illegal drugs from
hitting our streets," Toews said. "The RCMP and CBSA, through their
partnership and coordinated efforts, have once again taken
significant action to keep our communities safe."