Pubdate: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 Source: Surrey Now (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company Contact: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462 Author: Tom Zytaruk Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) BORDER BUSY WITH BUSTS Surrey's Pacific Highway border crossing was the scene of three major drug busts in recent weeks that hauled in a total 139 kilograms of cocaine. "We have over one million single doses of cocaine that are not going to make it to the street," said Cpl. Scott Rintoul, of the RCMP E division's drug awareness section. "What percentage of the total cocaine that's imported into Canada does this represent? We don't know." Police have yet to lay charges in a case June 2 where a truck carrying a load of wine from Berkely, California was stopped at the border after customs officers noted a problem in paperwork and examined its load. They seized 63 bricks of cocaine weighing 72.9 kilograms hidden behind pallets of boxed wine. On June 11, detector dog Speed sniffed out a duffel bag in a mini van that contained 24 bricks of cocaine weighing 28.3 kilograms. Aracely Dayana Corea, 30, of Vancouver and Yader Manuel Corea Martinez, 21, of Burnaby were subsequently charged with possessing and importing cocaine. On June 14, Speed sniffed out 36 packages of cocaine weighing 37.8 kilograms hidden in secret compartments in the floor and side panels of an SUV. Aguilar Walther Orellana, 24, of Vancouver and Tyrone Justin Lafrenier, 25, of Port Coquitlam were charged in that case. Rintoul said that while the drug-using population is decreasing, users are exhibiting "behaviour quite extreme." "We're seeing younger and younger first-time users, an increase in morbidity in youth," Rintoul said. "We certainly believe there's more guns out there today than in years past," he added. But Rintoul noted that worldwide production and trafficking of cocaine is decreasing. The drug has been in B.C. since the 1980s. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin