INSIDE

Border guard smuggler headed upriver

Cory Whitfield, a U.S. border official who lives in Point Roberts, has entered a plea of guilty in federal court in Seattle to a charge of possessing and importing marijuana.

Whitfield was apprehended September 13 when he attempted to enter the U.S. at the Lynden border crossing with 536 pounds of B.C. marijuana. The grass, with an estimated street value of $1.2 million, had been placed in cabinets lining the sides of the van he was driving.

Whitfield presented a diplomatic passport to the border guard and replied “I’m one of us” when queried about his passport. Whitfield had been stationed at Vancouver International Airport. He explained he was taking a car engine down to a dealership in Bellingham to have work done on it. Dissatisfied with Whitfield’s explanation, the border guard went to the back of the van and opened one of the cupboards whereupon the dope was discovered.

Whitfield will be sentenced February 4. He faces five to 40 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.