SUSPECTED DEALERS DEPORTED

Four Mexican men suspected of dealing drugs in Burnaby have been
deported back to their country, and there's a Canada-wide immigration
warrant for the arrest of a fifth.

It started earlier this week with a routine check of of a man who
police suspected was using illegal drugs.

While they were talking to him on Sunday, the 20-year-old man told
police that he was a Mexican citizen, in Canada on a visitor's visa.

However, for someone who also said he didn't work, police found an
unusually large amount of cash on the man, who said his parents had
sent it to him.

He gave the police a false address but, thanks to a tip given to
Burnaby RCMP's problem orientated police section, they found him anyway.

At a couple apartments in the 6400 block of Silver Avenue, they also
discovered four other Mexican citizens who were in Canada illegally.

Police believe the five Mexican men, who range in age from 20 to 25
years, were involved in organized crime activity, selling illegal
drugs on Burnaby's streets.

Const. Kalinda Link, spokesperson for the Burnaby RCMP, said it
didn't mean the men were affiliated with a known gang.

"We use the term 'organized crime' because (the original suspect) had
a substantial amount of money on him and because we believe they were
involved with the trafficking of illegal drugs, essentially marijuana."

Police also arrested a sixth man, a Canadian, who is facing charges
of possession of marijuana.

The Canadian Border Services Agency had been involved in the case
once police realized that border issues would probably come into play.

"They were in contravention of the Immigration and Refugee Protection
Act and had overstayed their status in Canada," said Janis Fergusson,
spokesperson for the agency.

She explained that, under normal circumstances, people who enter
Canada legally and get their passports stamped are allowed to stay
six months. They need to apply for an extension if they want to stay longer.

The five Mexican men were held until the agency issued removal orders.

"On Wednesday, they were released from detention and ordered to
appear at the airport on Thursday to depart Canada," Fergusson said.

Four showed up and got on airplanes to go home.

"(The fifth) didn't show up so, as a result, we issued a Canada-wide
immigration warrant for his arrest," she said.

Fergusson explained that if someone is charged in Canada, the border
agency will let the case go through the court system before they
deport someone.

"In this particular instance, they weren't charged," she said.

Depending on the circumstances of each case, the border agency can
issue one of three types of orders that compel someone to leave the country.

"It's always recorded on the system," Fergusson said, but noted
whether a person can return depends on which order they leave under.

A departure order means the person has to leave but can come back.
When they want to re-enter Canada, their circumstances will be considered.

An exclusion order, which is issued for either one or two years,
means the person can't come back until the time specified has run out.

Anyone who leaves Canada under a deportation order, Fergusson said,
has a lifetime ban from returning. The five Mexican nationals were
all ordered out of Canada under one-year exclusion orders.

What happens to the fifth man, the one who didn't show up at the
airport, when he is found depends on what he's been doing since the
initial arrest.

Whether he's been in hiding or has been out selling drugs could make
the difference in the circumstances under which he leaves Canada.