COURT DATE SET FOR TUNNEL SUSPECTS

A trial date of Sept. 26 has been set for three Surrey men accused of
tunnelling under the Canada-U.S. border to smuggle drugs.

Francis Devandra Raj, 30, Timothy Woo, 34, and Jonathan Valenzuela, 27, were
arrested on the U.S side of the border on July 20 and charged with
conspiracy to distribute and import marijuana.

They are being held in a Washington State jail while they wait for their
trial to be held in Seattle.

Two Americans were also arrested for receiving drug deliveries from the
tunnel.

The trio allegedly excavated a 110-metre tunnel that ran three metres below
the ground beneath 0 Avenue in Aldergrove, linking a metal Quonset hut on
the Canadian side to a house on the American side.

The 1.5-metre-wide tunnel, a sophisticated affair that had its own lighting,
sump pump and air ventilation system, will be sealed off Thursday, the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said.

The Canadian portion of the tunnel is to be sealed off next week. (See
story, page 3)

The Associated Press reported that Rodney Benson, special agent in charge of
the Seattle Field Division of the DEA, has predicted there will soon be more
arrests in the case, the first drug tunnel ever discovered along the
Canada-U.S. border.

Meanwhile, the house on the U.S. side has been seized by the U.S. Attorney's
Office in Seattle, which is reportedly applying to seize the Canadian
property as well.