Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Fort Good Hope (Dec 03/01) - Police in Fort Good Hope are concerned over the amount of bootlegging on medevac flights.

"The taxpayers pay for these flights and it is not to haul booze," said Cpl. Mark Crowther.

"These guys (medical charters) have to realize that some of this is dangerous goods and I think they should be a little more cognizant of what is getting on the planes."

Crowther was talking about Bacardi 151 over-proof rum, which is 75.5 per cent alcohol and classified as a dangerous good that needs proper paperwork and packaging.

On Nov. 22 the Fort Good Hope RCMP intercepted a flight in which 10 bottles of liquor were confiscated, some of that being the over-proof rum.

Later that week police intercepted another seven bottles, including a three-litre Texas mickey, also on a medical charter.

"They have been doing it for years," explained the owner of Arctic Wings, the charter company that operates weekly medical flights out of the community to Inuvik for residents requiring non-emergency treatments.

"As a charter company we do not search the baggage," Carl Falsnes added. "If we have a suspicion we package the airplane accordingly," in the nose instead of the belly of the aircraft.

Falsnes said the probability of over-proof alcohol combusting is low.

"Water can also be dangerous. It all depends on where it is and how it is handled," he said. "But, we do not want to cause alarm to anybody so if you are carrying alcohol we would like to know."

Falsnes added it is up to Transport Canada or the RCMP to charge people for transporting dangerous goods.

Transport Canada spokesperson Neil Green said it is difficult to catch passengers since Inuvik does not have security screening. The only time passengers must de-plane and go through a check is in Yellowknife and only if they are continuing south.

"In most cases with dangerous goods, it is the shipper that is responsible," Green explained.

He doubted charter companies would venture to check and package things such as over-proof rum for them, "being an illegal activity in the first place" when flying to restricted communities.

Chester Kakfwi was charged under Fort Good Hope's municipal alcohol restriction bylaw. Between Nov. 15 and Nov. 24, the community legislated total prohibition in light of national drug and alcohol awareness week.

The first 10 bottles were confiscated from a 61-year-old Colville Lake woman and band councillor. She was not charged because that community does not have an active liquor restriction legislation in place.

"It was a discretionary move (not to charge her)," Crowther explained. "However, the plane did land here in Fort Good Hope." The fact that the woman is a band councillor concerned Colville Lake's recently deposed band Chief. Dora Duncan said for a councillor to try and sneak alcohol through Fort Good Hope is wrong.

"I don't approve of this," she said. "A councillor is supposed to be a role model for the community and this kind of behaviour is not a good example."