Seizures of Canadian pot by U.S. authorities rises 259 percent since 2001

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OTTAWA (AP) -- Seizures of Canadian-made marijuana by U.S. authorities have increased 259 percent since 2001 but still constitute only about 2 percent of all such seizures at U.S. borders, according to a joint report.

"Most (cross-border) marijuana trafficking activity is southbound," said the 28-page report prepared by Canadian and U.S. authorities. "The two governments are very concerned about an upward trend in seizures."

The vast majority of marijuana seized at U.S. borders comes from Mexico, the report said. Though Canada accounts for only 2 percent of pot seized, it still is the second-largest supplier, followed by Colombia and Jamaica.

The report said the increase is partly the result of more effective policing, including tighter border controls and better cooperation between the two countries since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

"We've been working more closely today than we ever have," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Raf Souccar, director general of drugs and organized crime.

The report also found that about a quarter of the cocaine imported into Canada comes through the United States, usually by highway from Houston and Los Angeles through Michigan and into the Michigan-Ontario border cities of Windsor, Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie.

The study was jointly prepared by eight Canadian agencies, including the RCMP, Foreign Affairs, Health Canada and the Canadian Border Services Agency; and 10 American agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Detroit Free Press
© 2005 Detroit Free Press
https://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw110981_20050201.htm
 
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