RCMP: B.C. POT ROLLING OUR WAY

Bikers are shipping truckloads of high-grade marijuana into Toronto
from British Columbia daily as if they were bread deliveries, the RCMP
says.

Police said the Hells Angels gang has made inroads into domestic dope
smuggling and cops are bracing for a flood of B.C. bud since the bike
gang can now use its chapters here to distribute the tonnes arriving
on rigs.

"There'll be more of it now that they have expanded into Ontario,"
RCMP Sgt. Mark Pearson said.

Police said it's hard to curb the flow since the drug-filled rigs are
not subjected to customs checks.

The Mounties and B.C. police said a U.S. Customs drug crackdown at the
border has forced bud barons to find other markets.

'No Borders To Cross'

"It's a lot easier to truck the shipment across Canada," Pearson said.
"They have no borders to cross."

He said B.C. pot is favoured by users because of its high potency.
"It's supposed to be the best in the world," Pearson said.

The use of trucks to smuggle dope here escalated after the Mounties at
Pearson Airport began cracking down on marijuana transported on
domestic flights.

Sgt. Randy Elliott, of the Organized Crime Agency of B.C., said two
Hells Angels bikers were convicted last week for drug charges. "Outlaw
bike gangs are heavily involved in the distribution of marijuana,"
Elliott said.

Officers said it takes about five days for a tractor-trailer filled
with marijuana to travel here from B.C., where growing pot is a
$3-billion-a-year industry.

The truckers are paid up to $20,000 a load to drive the dope to
Toronto.