October 14, 2003
Multiple law enforcement agencies working together Thursday, October 9, led to the arrest of three men who attempted to smuggle 13 pounds of potent “B.C. Bud” marijuana into the United States from Canada.
According to Boundary County Sheriff George Voyles, the battle against the smuggling of the highly potent illegal import has been an ongoing problem, with too many people willing to take exceptional risks to bring the marijuana into the United States, where it brings top dollar to those who succeed.
Thursday’s incident began at about 7:39 a.m. when Border Patrol agents at the Porthill Port of Entry became suspicious of two men who came through in a car. They contacted U.S. Customs and the Boundary County Sheriffs Office, and the vehicle, now carrying three men, was stopped on U.S. 95 near milepost 519.
After the men consented to a search of the vehicle, Customs Agents found a knapsack holding the marijuana, with a street value of approximately $40,000, in the trunk.
Taken into custody on charges of marijuana trafficking were Jeffrey J. Tait, 25, Grasmere, British Columbia, Scott R. Scheideman, 28, Spokane, and Joel E. Bordeaux, 30, Sandpoint, who faces an additional misdemeanor charge of failing to stop at a Port of Entry for allegedly hiking into the United States.
Scheideman and Bordeaux are free on $50,000 bond, Tait remains in custody, also on $50,000 bond.
“We can’t stop people from trying to bring this marijuana into the United States through our ports of entry in Boundary County,” Voyles said, “but we’ve been very successful in interdicting large quantities of B.C. Bud, thanks to cooperation between the different agencies the work of the Boundary County Drug Task Force, which has done an excellent job. A lot of people who look at our small county and think we’re an easy way through have found out otherwise.”