Feds and Mounties arrest 46, seize tons of pot

BELLINGHAM – Top federal law enforcement officials announced this morning a new front in the war on the lucrative, potent marijuana grown in British Columbia: the skies.

A two-year, cross-border investigation targeted drug smugglers importing marijuana aboard helicopters and airplanes, resulting in at least 46 arrests and seizure of four tons of pot, 800 pounds of cocaine, $1.5.million in cash and several aircraft, according to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

The investigation, called Operation Frozen Timber, is the first such bust of a large-scale air smuggling scheme on the northern U.S. border, said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge for ICE's Seattle office.

"We've had air smuggling on the southern border for years, but it's new to us on the northern border, in these types of numbers," he said.

Drug smugglers appear to be using new methods after traditional trucking routes were squeezed by post-9/11 border security enhancements. Just last year, a 360-foot, under-border tunnel was discovered near Blaine, the first smuggling tunnel on the Canadian border.

The investigation focused on what investigators called "transportation brokers" — smuggling middle-men who ferried marijuana between British Columbia's plentiful pot growers and the deep American market.

Canadian-grown marijuana, called B.C. Bud, is famed for it's purity and potency. Premium varieties fetch about $3,000 per pound wholesale.

According to federal indictments resulting from the investigation, the smugglers exploited the harsh, empty lands of the North Cascades and Okanogan County to fly in hockey bags of pot, then returned north with suitcases of cash and cocaine.

Most of the marijuana seized during the investigation was routed through Seattle, then shipped south on the I-5 corridor, Winchell said.

The defendants are both Canadian and American citizens, and include pilots and a pair of British Columbia residents believed to lead one smuggling operation. Daryl Desjardins, 45, and Dustin Haugen, 24, both pilots, face drug trafficking charges in Canada.

The most recent incident occurred in early May, when customs agents and Canadian police followed a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter flying south from Harrison Hot Springs to Conconcully Lake, a rugged, remote spot north of Twisp. Two American citizens, Henry P. Roman of Seattle and James N. Burgland of Centralia, were arrested as they drove away with 320 pounds of marijuana.

Investigators say that scenario has replayed dozens of times since November 2004, when U.S. and Canadian authorities began to investigate reports of aircraft buzzing the rugged border lands.

Two helicopters used by smugglers crashed within months of each other in 2005, killing three people total, including two people believe to be returning from a drop in Washington State.

The investigation relied upon close cooperation between U.S. Customs and the Canadian RCMP, with both agencies using surveillance aircraft. RCMP spokesman Norm Massey said many of the helicopters used by smugglers were in poor condition and in some cases were flown by pilots with little or no training.

Winchell said the investigation was considered a potential national security breach, although no evidence of human or weapons smuggling was found.

"If a pilot can drop 500 pounds of marijuana 30 to 40 miles inland, what else could he drop?" said Winchell.

Jonathan Martin: 206-464-2605 or jmartin@seattletimes.com