THE ATTEMPT TO WEED OUT CORRIDOR 17

Profiling Drivers Is Not Condoned By Drug Unit

"If you were going to take over Canada, the first thing you would do
would be to take out the bridge just outside of Nipigon," says Brian
Brattenger, the staff sergeant of the Thunder Bay Kenora Tri-Force
Joint Drug Unit.

"There's only one road that joins the East to the West and the
bottleneck means that everything has to travel through Nipigon."

Of course, he is not talking about an imminent invasion but the
travelling drug trade is so much to overcome that to someone in his
position who knows that only one per cent of drugs are being seized
that pass through the region, it probably feels like one.

This statistic is Brattenger's way of explaining that although he is
willing to take credit for the improved investigation skills on behalf
of regional police, he wants to ensure that the public understands the
magnitude of the problem that his officers are up against.

This comes from a department that is being showered with praise from
local authorities and the media for their eight major seizures curbing
what the police say amounts to $166 million in the marijuana trade.
One such seizure pulled in a colossal 700 pounds that lined the body
of a vehicle.

"Ever since September 11, the drug transportation trade has changed a
lot in Canada," he explains.

"With increased security at the border, seaports, and airports, it has
moved a lot more to an East/West flow."

This change brings an opportunity for in what is being called
'corridor 17', the highway that branches down the coast of Lake
Superior towards Southern Ontario. The department believes that drug
couriers have a single destination as opposed to dropping off supplies
in every town they pass by.

It is too dangerous to make several stops and probably not worth the
time when there are single buyers in larger centres that can pay for
the entire supply.

Brattenger says that officers can ask the right questions and look for
indicators like rented vehicles, smell, stress and inconsistent
stories from drivers but defends that his officers don't just
stereotype drivers because they meet probability indicators.

"You can't just stop someone because they have BC plates, for example.
Statistically, it's tempting but profiling is not an accepted
technique in Ontario.

"Someone has to be breaking other traffic infractions, insurance,
seatbelts or headlights out. Strangely, a lot of dealers have been
caught because they were speeding."

He attributes some of the drive of his department to the energy and
training of the young officers in the region. Most highway patrollers
in Northern Ontario are fresh out of Police college and their training
in new methods is enriched by the honed skills of force veterans.

This, combined with a more refined and concentrated effort by the MTO
in stopping transport trucks, has made for an exceptionally successful
early spring.

"The young officers are on their first posting and have a real zest
for the work whereas older officers are working domestics or break and
enters because they find them more exciting."

The bottleneck to corridor 17 has been a successful trap this spring
with a healthy blend of luck and skill but even an amateur angler
could tell you that knowing where to fish doesn't mean you'll get a
trophy catch.

Still, the Nipigon region is taking on an increased significance and
even if the travelling marijuana trade through Northern Ontario
doesn't constitute an invasion, regional police are still trolling for
the ones that get away in their war on drugs.