B.C. border shooting suspect accused of smuggling ecstasy

Documents filed by the U.S. government in District Court in Seattle reveal the suspect in a shooting at a rural B.C. border crossing was apparently smuggling ecstasy.

The documents indicate four people have been arrested in the case — three in the U.S. and one in Abbotsford, B.C.

Jeffrey Laviolette, Ryan Lambert and Kali Henifin have all been charged with possession of ecstasy with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute ecstasy.

Nathan Hall, the fourth person arrested, hasn’t been charged but the documents indicate he is accused of firing a gun at U.S. border agents on Tuesday.

Much of the information contained in the U.S. documents comes from a confession from Laviolette, who was arrested Tuesday morning soon after shots were fired at U.S. border officials who saw two people emerging from a forested area in the Columbia Valley area, just east of the Huntingdon/Sumas border crossing, which is known for drug smuggling.

The incident sparked a massive manhunt on both sides of the border and prompted a lockdown at Upper Sumas Elementary School.

Laviolette allegedly told authorities he and Hall, both Canadians, were attempting to smuggle about 27 kilograms of ecstasy from B.C. into Washington.

U.S. authorities say Laviolette told them this was their third smuggling operation.

He apparently pointed authorities to a Bellingham apartment, where U.S. authorities arrested Henifin and Lambert.

Authorities say Lambert confessed and told police agents he was to drive the ecstasy to San Francisco for $11,000.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.