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A woman from Saskatoon who was an inspector for the Canadian Border Service Agency ( CBSA ) will spend three years in a United States prison for helping smuggle more than 700 kilograms of marijuana into the U.S.
Rose Chetrit Palmer, who worked for the agency in Stanstead, Que., crossed the border into Vermont in September 2004 and was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
The 53-year-old woman, who had worked with the agency for 20 years, pleaded guilty last April to conspiring with eight other people to import more than 100 kilograms of marijuana into the U.S.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Gelber said prosecutors believe Palmer would ride in vehicles carrying deliveries of marijuana from Quebec into Vermont.
"It's a small area where she works," he said, from Burlington, Vt. "Our theory is that her presence in the vehicle meant that the vehicle wouldn't be inspected." It's not known when Palmer left Saskatoon.
A U.S. district court indictment says Palmer and her alleged accomplices smuggled the drugs into Vermont and elsewhere between 1999 and April 2002. Gelber wouldn't go into the details of how immigration officials became wise to her activities.
"I can say that we had gotten statements from, and co-operation from, a number of her co-defendants," he said. "We had people that she had made deliveries to, and we had Canadian witnesses who had seen her depart on her errands." On Aug. 16, U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha also sentenced Palmer to three years of supervised release following her time in prison.
"Just for marijuana smuggling -- at least the way it is in this state - -- ( the sentence ) would be a little high," Gelber said. "But considering she was a border official, it wasn't high at all. We haven't had a lot of them, so I can't generalize." The investigation into the smuggling operation is ongoing, Gelber said.
Palmer's lawyer, Karen Shingler, didn't return a phone call Thursday.
Of the nine people indicted, only Palmer was a border guard.
Canadian Border Services Agency spokesperson Amelie Morin said Palmer's indiscretion is an "isolated incident." "It in no way ( reflects ) the integrity and professionalism of ( the ) 12,000 employees at the CBSA right now," she said.
All CBSA employees must pass a background check before they can work with the agency, she said. The agency also investigates any reports of misconduct, she said.
Palmer is no longer employed by the agency, she said.
U.S. and Canadian customs officials crossing into Canada are subject to the same laws and policies as any other traveller, Morin said.
"There's no policy saying who ( border guards ) have to stop," she said. "Part of their job is having some judgment. They use their skills and experience to do their job." Although Morin had no statistics on how many Canadian border officials have been involved in smuggling operations, such incidents are "exceptional" and rare, she said.
Gelber said the U.S. has an "enormous" problem with drug smuggling from Canada, especially in sparsely-populated Vermont.
"We do have a significant border, and an underpoliced border, with Canada, so stuff gets smuggled through here, even though it's not really intended for here," he said.
Vermont is a "pipeline" for drugs and illegal aliens headed for Boston, Albany, N.Y., and New York City, he said.
Newshawk: Happykid - 420 Magazine
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Pubdate: Fri, 25 Aug 2006
Author: Janet French
Copyright: 2006 The StarPhoenix
Contact: spnews@SP.canwest.com
Website: canada.com
Rose Chetrit Palmer, who worked for the agency in Stanstead, Que., crossed the border into Vermont in September 2004 and was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
The 53-year-old woman, who had worked with the agency for 20 years, pleaded guilty last April to conspiring with eight other people to import more than 100 kilograms of marijuana into the U.S.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Gelber said prosecutors believe Palmer would ride in vehicles carrying deliveries of marijuana from Quebec into Vermont.
"It's a small area where she works," he said, from Burlington, Vt. "Our theory is that her presence in the vehicle meant that the vehicle wouldn't be inspected." It's not known when Palmer left Saskatoon.
A U.S. district court indictment says Palmer and her alleged accomplices smuggled the drugs into Vermont and elsewhere between 1999 and April 2002. Gelber wouldn't go into the details of how immigration officials became wise to her activities.
"I can say that we had gotten statements from, and co-operation from, a number of her co-defendants," he said. "We had people that she had made deliveries to, and we had Canadian witnesses who had seen her depart on her errands." On Aug. 16, U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha also sentenced Palmer to three years of supervised release following her time in prison.
"Just for marijuana smuggling -- at least the way it is in this state - -- ( the sentence ) would be a little high," Gelber said. "But considering she was a border official, it wasn't high at all. We haven't had a lot of them, so I can't generalize." The investigation into the smuggling operation is ongoing, Gelber said.
Palmer's lawyer, Karen Shingler, didn't return a phone call Thursday.
Of the nine people indicted, only Palmer was a border guard.
Canadian Border Services Agency spokesperson Amelie Morin said Palmer's indiscretion is an "isolated incident." "It in no way ( reflects ) the integrity and professionalism of ( the ) 12,000 employees at the CBSA right now," she said.
All CBSA employees must pass a background check before they can work with the agency, she said. The agency also investigates any reports of misconduct, she said.
Palmer is no longer employed by the agency, she said.
U.S. and Canadian customs officials crossing into Canada are subject to the same laws and policies as any other traveller, Morin said.
"There's no policy saying who ( border guards ) have to stop," she said. "Part of their job is having some judgment. They use their skills and experience to do their job." Although Morin had no statistics on how many Canadian border officials have been involved in smuggling operations, such incidents are "exceptional" and rare, she said.
Gelber said the U.S. has an "enormous" problem with drug smuggling from Canada, especially in sparsely-populated Vermont.
"We do have a significant border, and an underpoliced border, with Canada, so stuff gets smuggled through here, even though it's not really intended for here," he said.
Vermont is a "pipeline" for drugs and illegal aliens headed for Boston, Albany, N.Y., and New York City, he said.
Newshawk: Happykid - 420 Magazine
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Pubdate: Fri, 25 Aug 2006
Author: Janet French
Copyright: 2006 The StarPhoenix
Contact: spnews@SP.canwest.com
Website: canada.com
