US, Canada crack brazen drug-smuggling network

BELLINGHAM, Washington (Reuters) - U.S. and Canadian authorities have cracked a smuggling network that used aircraft and delivery spots in remote western parks to ship tons of drugs over the border, officials said on Thursday.

Pilots taking advantage of the sparsely populated border between eastern Washington state and British Columbia made brazen daylight deliveries in the wilderness, carrying potent "BC Bud" marijuana to the United States and cocaine into Canada, police said.

Officials said one of the suspects was recorded bragging that the Canadian-based smuggling system was more efficient than FedEx because it could deliver its loads anywhere in Washington state.

"They thought they were beyond the reach of the law," Julie Myers, an assistant secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told a Bellingham news conference that featured surveillance recordings of drug deliveries.

Officials did not estimate the total value of the drugs moved by the smugglers, but the video showed a helicopter delivering 800-pound (360-kg) loads of British Columbia-raised marijuana that can sell in the United States for more than $3,000 a pound.

The two-year investigation, dubbed "Operation Frozen Timber," has resulted in the arrests of more than 40 people in the United States and six in Canada -- with some of the U.S. arrests dating back to early last year.

The announcement came as some American politicians have expressed concern about security on the U.S.-Canada border in the wake of the recent arrests of 17 terrorism suspects in Toronto.

Officials in Bellingham took pains to stress the cooperation between police in both countries.

"My experience tells me that when our counties enjoy strong partnerships, like the one demonstrated here today, we are effective in combating organized crime," said Bud Mercer, chief superintendent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The border in the Pacific Northwest has long been used for smuggling, largely with marijuana and illegal immigrants transported into the United States and cocaine and guns shipped into Canada.

Officials said the transportation network targeted by this investigation was the most sophisticated they had seen, using aircraft -- primarily helicopters and small planes, some equipped to land on lakes and rivers.

James McDevitt, the U.S. attorney for eastern Washington and a pilot, said the rugged wilderness terrain made enforcement difficult.

"It's about as remote as you'll ever find. Who wants to pay for a radar shed on every peak and every mountain?" McDevitt said.

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