OTTAWA - A recent provincial court ruling has poked a potentially massive hole in Canada's border security, by forcing guards to obtain warrants to search vehicles at checkpoints, officials said Wednesday.
"This ruling could be a concern," said Chris Williams, a spokesman for Canada Border Services Agency, after the agency reviewed the little-noticed decision.
"It could affect our commitment to keep illegal drugs, firearms, and contraband out of Canada, affecting the way we conduct searches," he explained.
The government is appealing the decision, he added.
Last week, the British Columbia Provincial Court acquitted a man of importing 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of cocaine into Canada because it was discovered by customs officials without a search warrant.
The contraband was found in a hidden compartment in his vehicle in January 2005, after authorities dismantled his pickup truck at a checkpoint in westernmost British Columbia province.
The driver's agitation during routine questioning by border guards had aroused suspicion and prompted the search, the court heard.
Jean-Pierre Fortin, vice-president of the 10,000-member Custom Excise Union, said the ruling, if upheld, "would put us out of business."
"It doesn't make sense at all," he told AFP. "There isn't a border agency anywhere in the world that doesn't have the authority to search a car or truck, or luggage entering the country."
"If you remove our authority to conduct searches, what are we doing there? why have border guards?" he lamented.
07/18/2007 16:20 GMT