Pubdate: Thu, 14 May 2015
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Kim Bolan
Page: A10

CIVIL FORFEITURE OFFICE PAYS COST OF DESTROYING ECSTASY

$7,000 Grant to RCMP to Dispose of 1,200 Kilos of Precursor Chemicals 
Seized at Port Is a First for Agency

B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture office has provided money for the safe 
destruction of 1,200 kilograms of chemicals used to make ecstasy, 
chemicals that were discovered recently inside an international 
shipping container.

Agency executive director Phil Tawtel said it was the first time his 
office has covered the cost of destroying such precursor chemicals.

"These chemicals arrived in B.C. via Port Metro Vancouver and the 
ship came from China," he said.

Inside the container, Canada Border Services Agency workers found 
almost a tonne of methylamine HCL in 33 kegs and about 200 kilograms 
of helional in a drum.

Tawtel said the chemicals "were identified by the authorities as 
having no legitimate use beyond creating harmful synthetic street 
drugs. There was no other reason to have it here."

The RCMP requested a $7,000 grant to cover the cost of disposal of 
the chemicals by a private Lower Mainland company, Tawtel said.

"We felt this was very much part of our agenda and what we are 
supposed to be doing," he said. "It is not just taking stuff off the 
street and converting it to cash that can be used for community 
grants but also using money to absolutely destroy stuff that can 
never be used again and cause damage. So for us it was a good fit."

He said the volume of chemicals seized could have produced $11 
million worth of ecstasy at the street level.

"This was part of our mandate. We were happy to be involved in this. 
We thought it was a really positive thing to get off the streets," he 
said. "We have never used money to destroy large quantities of drugs 
before. This was a very unique case both by volume and both by the 
nature of the drugs as well."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom