Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jul 2005
Source: Langley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 BC Newspaper Group and New Media Development
Contact:  http://www.langleytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230
Author: Frank Bucholtz
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

TUNNELING MEANS DETERMINATION

Pot Smugglers Follow A Wartime Example

The discovery of a drug smuggling tunnel across the border between 
Langley and Lynden on Wednesday brings even more attention to the 
booming B.C. Bud business.

Tunneling to avoid detection is only done when there is a very 
pressing desire to make money or escape from custody. It is not an 
easy undertaking.

The best-known example of tunneling took place in Germany during the 
Second World War. A group of Allied prisoners of war, mostly British 
airmen, spent months working on a tunnel between their barracks and 
some brush outside the guard towers.

On March 24, 1944, 83 prisoners managed to get into the tunnel and 
attempt escape. All but three were recaptured, and 50 were shot by 
the Gestapo in contravention of the Geneva Convention.

This event became the basis of the movie The Great Escape, which had 
the nerve to suggest that it was mainly Americans who escaped. In 
fact, there were no Americans involved in the real escape.

Interestingly enough, in March 1945, 67 German prisoners escaped from 
a camp in Wales, also by way of a tunnel. This story is not nearly as 
well-known. In this case, all the POWs were recaptured and none were shot.

It appears that the Aldergrove tunnel has been under construction for 
many months, and has also been under observation by police and border 
agencies on both sides of the border for many months.

Like the tunnelers in Germany, one of their biggest problems 
undoubtedly was disposing of the material excavated from the tunnel. 
I understand they used a large hut as the starting point in Canada, 
and that may have helped in avoiding some detection, but a lot of 
material is unearthed during an excavation.

What the discovery of this tunnel shows is two things. One is that 
marijuana smuggling is such a big business and is so lucrative that 
measures and risks of this nature are worth taking.

What it also shows is that border agencies are much more on top of 
these things than some smugglers seem to think. The U.S. has placed 
so much emphasis on security since Sept. 11, 2001 that potential 
smugglers are under much more scrutiny.

This tunnel could have been used for much more than marijuana 
smuggling. It is quite likely that other drugs and guns would come 
back from the U.S. It is also possible that its uses could include 
people smuggling, as there are many people who want to get into the 
U.S. and are quite prepared to pay big sums to sneak in.

It will be fascinating to learn more about the tunnel in the days to come.
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MAP posted-by: Beth