POLICE INVESTIGATE 'GUNS FOR DOPE' TRADE

When an Edmonton drug thug is in the market for an untraceable handgun, he
usually makes a beeline for Washington state. Local and U.S. authorities
agree the state that gave us Starbucks and Nirvana is also source No. 1 for
firearms smuggled into Canadian provinces - Alberta included.

Proximity, and lax state laws for gun sales, make Washington a natural
source for contraband weapons.

"There's quite a two-way trade with Washington, and it pretty much overlaps
perfectly with the drug trade," said Insp. Bill Carver of the Victoria
Police. He's the B.C. liaison for NWEST, the national gun-tracing service.
"It's guns for dope. Our hydroponic marijuana goes south, handguns and
cocaine come north.

"We're just starting to understand how it all works."

U.S. gun laws vary widely between states. In Washington, sales made through
licensed dealers are registered with the state - but private transactions
between individuals aren't.

Such sales, which often take place at gun shows, leave police with a very
cold trail if the gun in question ends up being used in a violent crime in
Canada.

Last year, agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives traced 152 guns smuggled into Canada to origin sales in
Washington, more than Texas and Florida combined.

Between Jan. 1, 2003, and June 30 of this year, ATF agents traced 1,805
firearms recovered in Canada back to U.S. sources. Alberta accounted for
197 of those guns.

Gun smugglers tend to take small shipments across the border - often in
backpacks and on foot - said Det. Rick Buckley, NWEST liaison with the
Edmonton Police Service.

"They tend to be bought up by the drug dealers with the deep pockets, and
usually within a few hours," he said.

Since B.C. has more border crossings than Alberta, many with light
security, smugglers tend to bring guns up through B.C. to buyers throughout
the region. Street prices run to triple the retail price.