Pubdate: Tue, 11 Dec 2001
Source: Halifax Herald (CN NS)
Copyright: 2001 The Halifax Herald Limited
Contact:  http://www.herald.ns.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180
Author: Brian Hayes

BRITON JAILED 10 YEARS FOR HASH SMUGGLING

A British man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for trying to 
smuggle about $38 million worth of hashish into Canada.

Neil Alexander Franks, 45, of Devon, England, was one of six British men 
arrested in August for smuggling over 2,500 kilograms of hashish seized by 
RCMP near Tangier on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore.

Michael Bernard Johnstone, 60, and Stephen Michael Ambrose, 52, both of 
London; Sven Francis Elgie, 39, no fixed address; Aaron Ross Wilding, 36, 
of Kent; and Clive Byron Rowe, 64, of Loddiwell pleaded guilty to 
conspiring to import hashish and were sentenced in October to prison terms 
ranging from six to eight years.

Dartmouth Provincial Court Judge Bill MacDonald also imposed a $100 victim 
fine surcharge on Mr. Franks who earlier pleaded guilty to charges of 
conspiring to import hashish.

Mr. Franks and three of his cohorts sailed the 12-metre Rayon Vert from 
Spain where the drugs were loaded from two other ships off the Spanish 
coast. The other two flew to Canada.

The Rayon Vert, which was registered to Mr. Ambrose, was two weeks late 
arriving because of bad weather and its crew were still wearing survival 
suits when arrested.

Two Sheet Harbour RCMP officers discovered the drugs while on late-night 
patrol Aug. 4. The officers found 60 bales of drugs along the shoreline, 
and Mr. Franks and Mr. Wilding in a Zodiac headed to shore with 61 more 
bales on board. Mr. Ambrose and Mr. Rowe were arrested on the sailboat.

A police dog found and attacked Mr. Elgie who was hiding in nearby woods. 
Mr. Johnstone was arrested the following day.

The sailboat, its navigational equipment and cash worth about $12,000 was 
ordered forfeited to the Crown.
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