Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2000, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: 333 King St. E., Toronto, Ontario M5A 3X5 Canada Fax: (416) 947-3228 Website: http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoSun/ Forum: http://www.canoe.ca/Chat/newsgroups.html Author: Alan Findlay PEARSON DRUG HAUL $165M More than $165 million in drugs was seized at Pearson International Airport last year, with authorities sniffing out almost double the amount of cocaine grabbed in '98. The airport's drug haul was almost half the take from all of Canada's customs ports. Last year's national tally soared to $348 million from $280 million in 1998. "It just means they're doing a better job of finding it," Canada Customs spokesman Duncan Smith said of customs and RCMP officers. Pearson usually nabs about 40% of the national total, he said. The designer drug Ecstasy also appears to be on the rise as the newest narcotic caught in the customs dragnet, according to Canada Customs statistics. Of the national 1999 drug haul, $159 million worth (796 kg) was cocaine and $12.7 million (361,805 doses) was Ecstasy. Not all customs posts have filed their 1999 totals yet, said Ottawa-based department spokesman Michel Proulx. Last year's airport tallies show the Mounties and customs officials intercepted 419 kg of cocaine at Canada's largest airport, compared with 212 kg the year before. "There seems to be, at least in the passenger terminals, an increase in cocaine and Ecstasy and a lot less marijuana," said Smith. In total, authorities grabbed slightly less than a tonne of contraband drugs at Pearson valued at $165.6 million, which is $34.8 million higher than the $130.8 million take in 1998. Authorities have also been tracking down stashes in unusual ways this year. Airport Mounties found their oldest smuggler ever last month when a 79-year-old great-grandmother was stopped with two bricks of marijuana worth $9,000 stashed in her suitcase. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake