By Darlene Blakeley
Credit: DND
Cdr Gilles Couturier, centre, Staff Sergeant André Potvin, right, and Sergeant Joe Toméo proudly display the IACP award. |
Operation CHABANEL, an RCMP counter-drug operation supported by the Navy in the spring of 2006 off the coast of Africa, has received a prestigious award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Commander Gilles Couturier, commanding officer of HMCS
Fredericton at the time, was on hand in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 16 to receive the award, along with RCMP Staff Sergeant André Potvin and his team.
Fredericton was deployed for 44 days from April 10 to May 23, 2006 in support of Op CHABANEL, which resulted in the seizure of 22.5 tons of hashish (989 bags weighing between 20 and 50 kilos each), the biggest seizure of its kind in Canadian history. These drugs, en route for Montreal and the eastern Canadian market, had a street value of approximately $225 million.
“This operation wouldn't have been attempted by the RCMP without the assurance provided by Fredericton's ability to operate unseen, as well as her ability to apply overwhelming force at a moment's notice, had that been needed by the RCMP to back up them up,” said Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson, Chief of the Maritime Staff, when explaining the operation to members of the Standing Committee on National Defence last fall. “Although these actions occurred at a great distance from our shores, the actions that were taken contributed to the security of Canadians directly, while also interdicting a drug-smuggling chain that likely began in the poppy fields of Afghanistan.”
For the crew of HMCS Fredericton, the IACP award provides recognition of a job well done. “This award reinforces the sense of pride the ship’s company felt when the operation was over,” says Cdr Couturier, who commanded the ship for 18 months and now works at NDHQ. “After all the secrecy surrounding the mission, having to hide some aspects of the task from our loved ones, and realising the importance of taking away 22.5 tons of hash from the streets of eastern Canada, we were all proud of what we accomplished.”
Fredericton had left Halifax on a routine fisheries patrol, but the mission changed significantly and the ship’s company responded admirably, according to Cdr Couturier. “From the senior leadership to the most junior sailor, including 35 sailors who had never sailed before, they demonstrated the professionalism expected of all sailors.”
Cdr Couturier also points out that being recognized for this operation is a clear indication of the team spirit that was quickly built between RCMP officers embarked and members of the ship’s company. “We formed a team and were ready for any eventuality,” he says. “To be recognized at this level only confirms what we already knew: the mission was a success. It is a credit to the professionalism of all of the sailors and RCMP officers involved.”
Operations like CHABANEL are an integral part of what the Navy has been doing over the years to curtail the importation of illicit drugs to Canada. “This operation is a prime example of how the Canadian Navy affects the lives of Canadians at home,” Cdr Couturier explains.
