"Ghanaian" Busted In Canada With $1.6mn Worth Of Heroin

Suspicious customs agents find load of heroin Narcotics found at Dorval airport were hidden in 20 traditional Ghanian robes Inspectors with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency discovered 4 kilograms of heroin this month, inside the lining of 20 traditional Ghanian robes that had been packed in shopping bags. The drug's street value is estimated at more than $1.6 million. It is the biggest heroin seizure at the airport since 1998. The robes were searched May 3 after a man who arrived on a flight, claiming to have visited family in Ghana, tried to go through customs. The man's vague answers to an agent's questions aroused suspicions. "He (claimed) in his declaration that he had left Canada on March 7 and that he lived in Montreal," Customs Superintendent Christine Sauvé said. But when questioned, he could not recall his Montreal address. He also appeared nervous, his eyes were bloodshot and his plane ticket had been bought at the last minute. All are signs that customs inspectors are trained to watch for, Sauvé said, so the man's luggage was searched.
RCMP spokesperson Constable Pierre Quirion said there are no signs yet that the heroin is tied to organized crime.
There were no seizures of heroin last year at either Dorval or Mirabel airports. During 2001, only 322 grams of heroin were seized. By comparison, more than 430 kilograms of cocaine have been seized at Dorval airport since Jan. 1, 2001.
Nationally, only 120 kilograms of heroin have been seized in Canada since Jan. 1, 2001, compared with more than 2,500 kilgrams of cocaine.
The man arrested at the airport, a 39-year-old Toronto resident, has been charged with possession with intent to traffic and importation of heroin. His bail hearing is scheduled for June 2.
Also yesterday, customs officials reported seizing 500 kilos of khat, a mild narcotic banned in Canada, at Mirabel on May 6.
No one claimed the shipment and, Quirion said, no arrests have been made in connection with it.