POLICE BADGE HELPED OFFICER LAUNDER MONEY ACROSS BORDERS

MONTREAL -- He was a veteran law-enforcement officer with a
fascination for organized crime. And nothing in his police career had
been as thrilling as working as a money courier for the mob.

That was what Pierre Goulet told the Colombian trafficker who came to
visit him last summer.

Mr. Goulet explained how, by flashing his Montreal police badge, he
repeatedly got through the Quebec-New York State border, driving
millions of dollars to Miami to pay cocaine suppliers.

He said he worked on behalf of a childhood friend now with the mob.

But Mr. Goulet had his moments of doubts about the Colombian and
wondered aloud if the man was a double agent. "No, you are the
policeman," the man said reassuringly.

In fact, his interlocutor was indeed an undercover officer.

Mr. Goulet was arrested and pleaded guilty this summer to six counts
of money laundering.

His story was made public yesterday at a presentencing hearing, a
tale of a self-described "excellent policeman" working for a
cocaine-smuggling ring.

"I am a police officer but I am also a human being with his
weaknesses," Mr. Goulet, 42, told the court yesterday, pleading to be
spared a jail sentence.

The events that led to his capture began in 2004. The U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration announced a series of arrests against the
organization of Elias Cobos-Munoz, a Colombian cocaine kingpin.

Among those caught by Operation Busted Manatee were several
Quebeckers, and the probe led back to Mr. Goulet.

As a Montreal constable, he worked downtown, then on the security
detail at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

He told the court he had marital problems and found solace from a
childhood friend, Bernard Mondou, who worked for the mob.

"I needed to be close to a friend," Mr. Goulet testified. "I have a
fascination for organized crime and it let me see what happened on
the other side."

At Mr. Mondou's request, Mr. Goulet installed a safe in his basement
so his friend could keep cash. He eventually helped count and wrap
the money. From 2000 to 2002, he agreed to transport money for Mr.
Mondou, hiding sums ranging from $500,000 to $1-million (U.S.) in the
seats and doors of a rental car.

The money was used to pay for cocaine imports. Because Mr. Goulet was
fluent in Spanish, he also flew to Montego Bay, Jamaica, with Mr.
Mondou to help translate while his friend tried to charter a plane.
He said nothing suspicious happened.

"May be they never said the word 'cocaine,' but he had to know what
it was about," Crown attorney Fabienne Simon said.

She said Mr. Goulet got about $70,000 in commissions for his work.
After Mr. Mondou bought two houses from him, Mr. Goulet hid the
ownership transfer, shielding his friend from tax collectors and
bankruptcy creditors.

"Many criminals use a front, but few have the opportunity to have a
police officer as their front," Ms. Simon told the court.

Mr. Goulet also accessed police databanks to see whether he and his
friend were being investigated, the court heard.

But by 2004, the crackdown against Mr. Cobos-Munoz led to the arrest
of Mr. Mondou, who was extradited to the U.S. and sentenced to 11 years.

The investigation included undercover surveillance, where Montreal
police recognized Mr. Goulet among people meeting traffickers.

Mr. Goulet was in his driveway in June of 2006 when a man approached
him, saying he was from the Colombian organization. It was the
undercover agent.

After his arrest, Mr. Goulet spent a month and a half in detention
before getting bail. "I got a taste of jail last year. For me, one
day is amply enough to punish me," he said, offering instead to
perform community work and even donate blood.

But Ms. Simon said a three-year sentence would be the more appropriate.

"He chose to join Bernard Mondou. He had opportunities to make other choices."