Rankin Inlet (Jan 19/05) - The annual ban on importing alcohol into Rankin Inlet did little to stem the flow of booze into the community this holiday season, despite the best efforts of police.

Rankin RCMP Sgt. Grant St. Germaine said search warrants were executed on Dec. 19 and 22, resulting in the seizure of a large quantity of marijuana, as well as 53 40-ounce bottles of liquor.

St. Germaine said seven people face charges as a result of the raids.

Martha and Jackie Iguptak have been charged with the illegal sale of liquor and possession of both cannabis and cannabis resin.

Charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking are Randy Tizzard, Judie Kalaserk, Norman Kowtak and Verna Kowtak.

St. Germaine said although the ban officially went into effect on Dec. 20, liquor was still being picked up by customers on Dec. 23.

"Last year the hamlet was noticeably quieter during the holidays because of the ban, but not so this year," said St. Germaine.

"This year was no different than a normal payday weekend. We had three people in jail on Christmas Day and another eight on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

"In total, we had to incarcerate 18 people during Christmas and New Year's, and they were all alcohol related."

Thwarted by greed

St. Germaine said the 53 bottles seized during a three-day period is quite uncommon for Rankin, leading him to question the effectiveness of this year's ban.

He said he'd hate to think what might have happened had those 53 bottles also made it onto the street.

"People can order what amount of alcohol they want, but it seems strange to me that a liquor licensing outlet would sell 96 40-ouncers of booze to two individuals during a two-week period and not have it click in that maybe they're bootlegging.

"The airlines here in Rankin have always been extremely co-operative with police, so I would suspect the problem of liquor being flown in after the ban is originating in an outside community.

"It's disheartening when the community tries to help families enjoy a safe and happy holiday season, only to be thwarted by companies more interested in making money."

Warwick Wilkinson is the general manager for Piruqsaijit Ltd., which issues permits for liquor orders from Churchill and Yellowknife.

He said the company's hands are tied when it comes to liquor orders.

"According to the Liquor Act, there are no restrictions or limits on importing liquor into Rankin Inlet," said Wilkinson.

"They can order as much as they want, as often as they want."

Wilkinson said the company would comply if the hamlet asked to push back the cut-off date to obtain a liquor permit to earlier in the month.

"We can only respond to the hamlet in regards to helping with its polices or requests.

"However, we do phone the manager of the Churchill liquor store on the first day of the ban to remind them not to ship anything from that day forward to Rankin."

Decision made in Churchill

Bryan Fotheringham oversees Calm Air's marketing and sales for the Nunavut area.

He said the airline receives a letter notifying it of the dates of the ban, but local staff have no say over what cargo is shipped into Rankin.

"That's all done in Churchill and it's their decision as to what gets loaded onto the plane," said Fotheringham.

"Locally, we have no control over what cargo is shipped into our community."

As for the quantities of liquor being ordered by an individual, Fotheringham said the new Privacy and Policies Act prevents cargo employees from alerting anyone about the amounts coming in.

"We can't say anything without having legal action taken against the company.

"We cannot tell anybody how much liquor a person has coming in or how often.

"We can only tell the person who the cargo is for that their shipment has arrived."

No booze to dry hamlets

Fotheringham is quick to point out those rules change if the airline suspects someone is trying to ship liquor into a dry community.

He said people will try to send liquor to dry hamlets marked as clothing or other personal effects.

"In that particular situation, we have the right to deny any suspicious goods.

"We have, in fact, called the RCMP to the airport when we were in receipt of suspicious items.

"First, we notify the passenger or the shipper to verify the contents.

"As an airline, if we feel the person is lying to us about those contents, then we have the authority to have the contents checked."