ARRESTED SENIOR WANTS APOLOGY, COMPENSATION FOR HER ORDEAL

The Minnesota grandmother who was wrongly jailed at the Winnipeg
Remand Centre for 12 days on suspicion of smuggling heroin into
Manitoba says federal officials owe her an apology and compensation
for the debt incurred to cover her legal costs.

Janet Goodin, 66, said she is pleased the Canada Border Services
Agency is preparing a report on her arrest, but said she's owed more
than that.

"I would like an apology and I would like the charges to be
withdrawn," Goodin said. "My daughters had to borrow at least $5,000
to cover my legal costs, and that money should be recouped, too."

As the Free Press first reported Tuesday, Goodin was arrested April 20
by CBSA guards at the Sprague port of entry after a preliminary field
test showed a canning jar of motor oil in her van tested positive for
traces of heroin. She was handcuffed, detained and strip-searched by
border guards, then turned over to the RCMP, who charged her with
three heroin-trafficking offences.

Goodin, a retired girl scout administrator, was denied bail and held
behind bars before a more thorough analysis by the RCMP revealed the
jar contained only motor oil.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Tuesday he has requested a
report from the president of the CBSA into Goodin's detention.

"Whether there were any errors or changes that need to be made, I'll
have to wait until I receive a full report," Toews said.

He said he would not comment on whether the Canadian government would
issue an apology to Goodin.

"Whatever actions are appropriate, either CBSA or the government will
take."

CBSA official Carl Jarvin, the acting manager of programs for the
Prairie region, said the field test conducted by the border guards has
proven infallible in the past, adding he couldn't explain why there
was a false positive in Goodin's case.

"I'm not aware of a similar case in my 23 years like this one," Jarvin
said. "This is completely unusual."

Jarvin said the field-testing procedure used by CBSA border guards is
the same one used by several law enforcement agencies.

He said although findings of the field test are not allowed in court,
the results are recognized as grounds to detain individuals suspected
of drug smuggling.

"It's a proven system that we use and other law-enforcement agencies
use," Jarvin said, adding he's not aware if continued use of the field
test is being reviewed.

Goodin said her Winnipeg lawyer had requested a full report from the
CBSA on her arrest, including a copy of the field-test results, but
added none of that information has been released.

She said she was released from the remand centre May 3 and was
considering legal action against the CBSA, but realized she couldn't
afford it.

"I've been a widow for almost 40 years and I live month to month," she
said. "My daughters had to borrow $5,000 for my lawyers. I can't
afford to do anything else."

Goodin said although the court stayed the three heroin-smuggling
charges, she believes they should have been withdrawn completely.

"I'm afraid that this is going to cause me problems if I travel across
the border again," she said. "Those charges are going to be there."