Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jun 2005
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Matthew Ramsey
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

BREEDER CAUGHT IN COKE BUST

Former Millionaire From Chilliwack Arrested In U.S.

A Chilliwack horse breeder arrested in Washington state with 170 
kilograms of cocaine is part of an international drug-trafficking 
ring with tentacles extending into B.C., Mexico and Colombia, U.S. 
officials say.

RCMP also confirmed they're investigating Douglas Spink but were 
unable to release any information regarding his outstanding Canadian 
police files or which unidentified drug-trafficking ring he is 
allegedly part of.

Spink, 34, a former entrepreneur millionaire from Portland, Ore., was 
arrested Feb. 28 in Everett. The $42 million in cocaine was found in 
five bags in his Chevrolet Tahoe, according to U.S. police.

He is currently in custody in the U.S.

Documents filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle in the case of 
Spink's alleged drug-smuggling boss indicate the arrest was a major 
blow to a trafficking ring that traded B.C. bud for high-grade 
Colombian cocaine smuggled into Canada via Mexico, then the U.S.

Robert Kesling, accused of managing the trafficking network, was 
arrested in May and identified as the owner of the cocaine in Spink's 
SUV, said police.

Police later found 205 kilograms of marijuana in Kesling's trailer.

Spink is alleged to have worked as a drug runner for Kesling, a 
former combatant in the Ultimate Fighting series.

"The marijuana is being smuggled into the U.S. from Canada and the 
cocaine exported back to Canada, as directed by Kesling. Kesling 
plays a leadership role in the enterprise and has been doing this for 
some time," U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agent James 
Harris says in a sworn affidavit.

The affidavit indicates Kesling was managing the drug operation for 
at least three years. He was regularly distributing 100-pound 
shipment of B.C. bud across the U.S. from Washington, says the affidavit.

At a 2003 meeting with a police informant posing as a Canada-based 
marijuana supplier, Kesling "indicated he preferred to trade the 
marijuana for kilograms of cocaine, which he would have smuggled into 
Canada, rather than pay his Canadian suppliers in cash."

After Spink's arrest, Kesling advised alleged drug runner Wesley 
Cornett, who is accused of loading the cocaine into Spink's SUV in an 
Everett parking lot, to flee to Mexico, said the affidavit.

"I've met with everybody [in the organization] and that's what they 
want to happen. They're all freaked out. Everybody's freakin' out," 
Kesling says in a phone-tapped conversation recorded in March and 
included in Harris's affidavit.

Spink made millions in his 20s selling fitness catalogues to national 
sporting goods stores in the U.S. He further added to his fortune as 
a mergers-and-acquisitions entrepreneur during the late-1990s.

Outside his businesses Spink made a name for himself as a fear-loving 
adrenaline junkie fond of snowboarding, rock climbing and BASE 
jumping. He also ran a dog breeding business in Oregon.

The high-flying Spink claimed bankruptcy in 2002 and moved to B.C. 
where his name shows up as the owner/manager of a jumping horse 
breeding operation in Chilliwack.

Spink is charged with possession of five or more kilograms of cocaine 
with intent to distribute. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, 
he would face a minimum sentence of 10 years.

His trial is set to begin July 11.
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MAP posted-by: Beth