Pubdate: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2007 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: Sue Montgomery, The Gazette Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) RCMP ENTRAPPED SMALL FRY, LAWYER CHARGES Heroin Addict Didn't Want to Take Part in Thailand Sting, Court Hearing Told The RCMP should have known Alain Olivier was never a big player in drug circles when they recruited him for an undercover sting operation in Thailand, a lawyer argued yesterday. Calling his client's behaviour "Mickey Mouse," lawyer Francois Audet grilled a retired RCMP corporal in Quebec Superior Court on why Olivier was targeted by the Mounties. "You pretended he was this big guy with connections and you were going to drag him over to Thailand and have him executed," Audet told Barry Bennett during Bennett's second day on the stand. "Why? Did you hate his guts? Was it your position that all low-life dopers should be dragged to Thailand?" Olivier wasn't executed and he wanted to go to Thailand, Bennett replied. "He made the offer twice," he said. Olivier, 47, is suing the RCMP for $47.5 million, 20 years after he was recruited for Operation Deception. He alleges police entrapped him in a drug deal that landed him in a Bangkok jail, serving a life sentence. After 81/2 years, he was transferred to a prison in Quebec and was later paroled on strict conditions. He'll be completely free in 2029. Olivier, who was a heroin addict, didn't really want to go to Thailand, Audet contended yesterday, and was clearly trying to get out of it by coming up with all kinds of excuses. "He said he wasn't working, he had no pager, his truck blew up and he had no money and might have to go back to work," Audet said, referring to Bennett's notes from the time. "Did he tell you his dog ate his homework, too?" At one point, Olivier offered to give the undercover agents a photo of himself so they could go to Thailand without him and meet his contact. "This seems very Mickey Mouse," Audet said. "Didn't you think that was ridiculous?" "Yes, I said that'd be insane," Bennett replied. The lawsuit contends the RCMP "relentlessly hounded Olivier through the use of threats and intimidation" for a period of 20 months - a charge the RCMP's Public Complaints Commission later supported. Olivier, originally from Drummondville and with no previous criminal record, finally obliged because he feared he'd be killed. In 1989, he flew to Bangkok and made contact with a taxi driver who agreed to supply heroin to Olivier's contacts, who were undercover RCMP police officers. As the deal was going down, Thai police arrived on the scene and arrested Olivier. He later pleaded guilty to drug charges. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake