POLICE CRACK MASSIVE DRUG RING

Officers Said It Stretched From Canada To The Caribbean To Central America.

HALIFAX -- Police and customs officers said yesterday they struck a major
blow to organized crime by breaking a vast drug ring that stretched from
the Caribbean, the United States and South America to cities across Canada.

After a two-year investigation, RCMP, Canada Customs and municipal forces
arrested dozens of people involved in a complex criminal network that
imported drugs through a Canadian port and distributed them through an
array of contacts with links to biker gangs and waterfront workers in
Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Hamilton.

One official said much of the hash, cocaine and marijuana that was seized
was shipped in duffel bags placed on container ships that came into Halifax.

"What we have is a number of individuals using legitimate importers to ship
these goods into Canada," John Fagan of the Canada Customs and Revenue
Agency said at a news conference in Halifax.

"This file takes us all the way from Halifax to Hamilton to Florida and the
Caribbean."

The joint investigation resulted in about 40 arrests and 135 charges, which
include the production of marijuana, conspiracy to traffic in a controlled
substance and conspiracy to import a controlled substance.

Police moved in on residences outside Halifax Tuesday and confiscated
millions of dollars worth of assets, drugs and cash.

Police in Quebec and Ontario conducted search and seizures at the same
time, netting 268 kilograms of cocaine, 20 kilograms of hash, 140 kilograms
of marijuana and $4 million in assets in southern Ontario alone.

The seized assets included an undisclosed number of cars and trucks, as
well as jewelry and furniture. Some bank accounts were also frozen.

Officers said the probe, which involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
and police in Jamaica and Florida, focused on organized criminal groups and
port workers who helped bring in the illegal goods.

Three port employees were arrested in Halifax, renewing concerns about lax
security that allows contraband to sneak past inspectors.

"Obviously vulnerabilities exist at the port when you have 500,000
containers arriving annually, so there are opportunities for organized
crime to take advantage of legitimate business and they do," RCMP Insp.
Bill Kazmel said in Halifax.

Officials in Montreal said they did serious damage to the ring with the
arrest of people linked to organized crime in Colombia and outlaw biker gangs.

Steven Bertrand, who has been tied to the Hells Angels, was picked up in a
sweep Tuesday that saw officers raid about 20 homes and businesses. They
seized close to $1 million in jewelry, cash and other assets.

Bertrand was charged in Montreal with conspiracy to import cocaine.

Police said the operation saw tonnes of illegal narcotics flow from Panama
through Halifax and on to various cities, making the bust one of the most
expansive.