Mounties Seize 1,000 Pounds of Explosives
Date: Tuesday, June 17 2003
Topic: Canadian Politics
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Police said on Monday they seized more than 1,000 pounds of stolen explosives, enough to flatten a building, that was believed destined for Vancouver-area criminal gangs.
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The dynamite, blasting caps, detonation cord and other mining explosives stolen last month in Squamish, British Columbia, could have been used to construct a very large bomb, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Mounties called in their national security unit to handle the case after initially hearing the stolen material was going to be smuggled into the United States for possible terrorist or criminal activities.
Police said they now believe the C$50,000 ($37,000) worth of explosives were to be used for criminal activity in British Columbia, where gangs have been fighting a turf war for the province's lucrative marijuana growing business.
The explosives were recovered in raids last week in several towns around Vancouver. A Coquitlam, British Columbia, man is charged with possession of explosives and several others are being held in custody for questioning.
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