I guess it was just the bear necessities.
ARLINGTON, Wash. - Customs agents this week seized close to
one million dollars worth of marijuana and cash.
All of it was sealed in plastic bags hidden inside a trailer
containing two black bears in a foiled attempt to sneak past
the Canadian border.
The suspect told agents he was taking a pair of
gentle bears to Los Angeles to be in a movie. Instead, investigators
said he was actually smuggling high grade marijuana with
plans to bring back cocaine.
But the trip would be his last.
The two black female bears ? Corkie and Pumpkin - were
the unwitting accomplices in the bizarre smuggling
operation. They were used to fool customs agents at
the border.
The driver said he was on his way to Los Angeles, where
he said the bears would be used in a movie.
"These were located in a false compartment of the
trailer," said Rod Hickman, U.S. Customs Service.
Inside the trailer, agents discovered 166 pounds of high
grade BC bud marijuana, along with $180,0000 in cash.
The driver, a 23-year-old Canadian citizen, appeared in
federal court this week. Agents said he has admitted it's
a scheme that's been working for some time.
"He has also admitted that aside from this trip has also used,
lions and cougars and bears," said Charles McLeod, U.S.
Customs Service. "Oh my."
*
KING
Theo, the drug sniffing K-9 officer, found the stash.
How did agents make the bust? Meet their secret weapon:
Theo, a drug sniffing K-9 officer.
"Well, he was a little distracted at first," said one U.S.
Customs agent. " And obviously when I went around the trailer,
he picked up the scent of the bear."
Theo found the stash, even though much of the marijuana
was sealed in plastic bags and hidden inside one of the bears
sleeping areas.
"Well, he's my bread and butter," said the agent. "I'm real
happy with him."
The bears are now in protective custody at the Sarvey
Emergency Animal Shelter. The suspect told agents
the pair were fed a strict diet of turkey, not realizing
black bears mostly eat vegetables.
The bears are very friendly. They have a gentle behavior, and
that's the key problem in all this. It means they can never
be released back into the wild.
"They'll never be releasable, they're humanized," aid Dennis
Whitney, Sarvey Wildlife Center. "Hopefully some day,
depending on legal action, they'll be placed in some sanctuary."
"I think it's just a perfect example of how far people will go
to smuggle narcotics, and how pervasive the problem
is," said McCleod.
The suspect told agents he'd made the trip ten times, but
he insisted he was just the driver.
The case now extends up and down the West Coast and
into Canada. Customs agents said more arrests can be expected.
ARLINGTON, Wash. - Customs agents this week seized close to
one million dollars worth of marijuana and cash.
All of it was sealed in plastic bags hidden inside a trailer
containing two black bears in a foiled attempt to sneak past
the Canadian border.
The suspect told agents he was taking a pair of
gentle bears to Los Angeles to be in a movie. Instead, investigators
said he was actually smuggling high grade marijuana with
plans to bring back cocaine.
But the trip would be his last.
The two black female bears ? Corkie and Pumpkin - were
the unwitting accomplices in the bizarre smuggling
operation. They were used to fool customs agents at
the border.
The driver said he was on his way to Los Angeles, where
he said the bears would be used in a movie.
"These were located in a false compartment of the
trailer," said Rod Hickman, U.S. Customs Service.
Inside the trailer, agents discovered 166 pounds of high
grade BC bud marijuana, along with $180,0000 in cash.
The driver, a 23-year-old Canadian citizen, appeared in
federal court this week. Agents said he has admitted it's
a scheme that's been working for some time.
"He has also admitted that aside from this trip has also used,
lions and cougars and bears," said Charles McLeod, U.S.
Customs Service. "Oh my."
*
KING
Theo, the drug sniffing K-9 officer, found the stash.
How did agents make the bust? Meet their secret weapon:
Theo, a drug sniffing K-9 officer.
"Well, he was a little distracted at first," said one U.S.
Customs agent. " And obviously when I went around the trailer,
he picked up the scent of the bear."
Theo found the stash, even though much of the marijuana
was sealed in plastic bags and hidden inside one of the bears
sleeping areas.
"Well, he's my bread and butter," said the agent. "I'm real
happy with him."
The bears are now in protective custody at the Sarvey
Emergency Animal Shelter. The suspect told agents
the pair were fed a strict diet of turkey, not realizing
black bears mostly eat vegetables.
The bears are very friendly. They have a gentle behavior, and
that's the key problem in all this. It means they can never
be released back into the wild.
"They'll never be releasable, they're humanized," aid Dennis
Whitney, Sarvey Wildlife Center. "Hopefully some day,
depending on legal action, they'll be placed in some sanctuary."
"I think it's just a perfect example of how far people will go
to smuggle narcotics, and how pervasive the problem
is," said McCleod.
The suspect told agents he'd made the trip ten times, but
he insisted he was just the driver.
The case now extends up and down the West Coast and
into Canada. Customs agents said more arrests can be expected.
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