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Bust at Fanny Bay By Bill Wittenberger |
January '99 |
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November 4, 1998, the amalgamated efforts of
multi agencies, U.S. and Canadian, resulted in the seizure of approximately 12 tons of
hashish from the off load vessel, Ansare II, at Fanny Bay, British Columbia. A later
additional seizure of hashish from the mother ship, Blue Dawn, brought the total amount
seized to 14.8 tons. This is the largest seizure made in British Columbia and is estimated
to be valued at roughly $80 million Canadian dollars. U.S. agencies, principally U.S.
Customs, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington National Guard, began
their investigation as early as September 1996. Other U.S. agencies were eventually
brought on board to include IRS, DEA (Tacoma Task Force), U.S. Coast Guard, U.S.
Attorney’s Office, and the NW HIDTA. The NW HIDTA initiated support for the case on March 27, 1998. The HIDTA Watch Center played a major role in that support contributing over 557 staff hours. The support included entering 32,503 telephone tolls and 1,852 subscribers into the Pen-Link database by Kathy Chauvin and other members of the Watch Center. From the Pen-Link database, frequency, hot number (a frequency of calls plus dates associated with the calls), subscriber and subpoena lists were produced to support the investigators. Also, the Watch Center used the "i2" software product to make phone link charts to show key calling connections between a certain target phone number and other phone numbers being called. "i2" is capable of accepting the tolls from Pen-Link and automatically configuring a link chart. The product is not all that simple, as the charts have to be reorganized and simplified, but the capabilities of "i2" are impressive. Additionally, the Watch Center transferred the Pen-Link data into an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis by the NW HIDTA analytical staff. The NW HIDTA analytical staff, primarily Bill Wittenberger and Bud Fish, supplemented the Watch Center effort by contributing 390 plus staff hours of analytical work. Included in this effort was analysis of the Excel spreadsheet by using "pivot tables." Pivot tables will break down the calling patterns of certain target numbers and organize the tolls in alphabetical and date time order. This product allows the investigator to recognize some of the more distinctive calling patterns out of the thousands of phone calls listed in the database. The Excel "auto filter" feature was also helpful in analysis used to support surveillance data of a key suspect. "Auto filter" allows an analyst to focus on only certain dates, persons, phone numbers, places or other entered categories and simplifies the mass of data into manageable segments. The HIDTA analytical staff used its Visio software to produce high quality organizational link charts and maps. The charts and maps, in addition to being used by the investigators as an investigative tool, were useful to the investigators when they briefed other agencies or prosecutors. The analytical staff also ran "AutoTrack" data base checks on numerous associates of the key suspects. "AutoTrack" products gather information from public sources and produce personal profile information, such as addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and real estate on those associates. The NW HIDTA anticipates having access to the Lexis Nexis system in the near future to augment this capability. The DEA analyst assigned to the NW HIDTA, Nancy Thompson, simplified some of the historical data on the drug organization and wrote summary reports. Nancy also conducted DEA NADDIS checks to support the investigative effort. The support listed above is not all inclusive of the
support provided by the NW HIDTA. It also only lists some of the products that the HIDTA
staff can furnish, and as our staff develops operational expertise we expect our product
list and capabilities to expand. |
