COCAINE USE SPURS REVIEW OF NAVY DRUG-TEST PROGRAM

VICTORIA -- The Canadian navy is reviewing its drug-testing program
after evidence of widespread cocaine use and trafficking aboard armed
military patrol ship HMCS Saskatoon - allegedly involving as many as
a third of the crew - has come to light in a series of military trials.

Four sailors have been dismissed from the Canadian Forces and three
so far have been convicted of cocaine trafficking, following an
undercover investigation by the Forces.

"There's a goodly level of concern with regard to the circumstances
and a lot of smart people are putting their heads toward whether
there needs to be changes to the random drug-testing program,"
Lieutenant-Commander Gerry Pash, a spokesman for Maritime Forces
Pacific, said yesterday.

Chief Petty Officer Leonard Hearns, who was brought aboard the ship
to try to bring the drug problem under control in January of 2006,
testified that discipline aboard the Saskatoon was non-existent.

"In my 38-year-long career, I have never seen such an appalling
sight," CPO Hearns told the court. "The ship was disorganized, there
was no discipline and no trust among the crew," he said in an account
reported by CBC News and confirmed by a military spokesperson.

Jason Ennis, 24, was convicted last week in a military court of
trafficking, and has been fined $2,000. Mr. Ennis told the court
between 10 and 12 members of the 31-member crew used cocaine
regularly during the time of the investigation, in January, 2006.

However, he testified he did not use drugs while on the ship, which
is armed with a 40 mm rapid-firing cannon and two .50 calibre machine guns.

In October, former chief petty officer Robert Carlson will be
court-martialled, charged with trafficking and disgraceful behaviour.
Mr. Carlson is the highest-ranking sailor charged in connection with
the investigation. As the coxswain aboard HMCS Saskatoon, he was in
charge of military discipline.

Earlier this year, two other crew members were convicted of
trafficking. Sonya Robert, 27, pleaded guilty to selling half a gram
of cocaine to a military undercover drug officer. Brenda Murley, 28,
pleaded guilty to the same charge and both were fined $500.

"Certainly there was an element of surprise with regards to the
number of people relative to the size of the crew," LCdr. Pash said.
"The Canadian Forces has a zero-tolerance rule with regard to the use
of drugs, recognizing that members of the Canadian Forces are put in
positions of trust and drug use is not compatible with military service."

HMCS Saskatoon, based at CFB Esquimalt near Victoria, is one of 12
Kingston-class vessels designed for maritime coastal defence. It can
be outfitted for a variety of roles, including minesweeping and
search and rescue, but is frequently used for training reserve members.

As far as navy military vessels go, HMCS Saskatoon is a comfortable ship.

Just 55 metres long, with a maximum crew of 41, the Canadian navy
website boasts of the ship's "extremely liveable," co-ed
accommodation - no more than four crew per cabin - plus a modern,
well-equipped galley.